Jurassic World: New Age
by Erizabesu Miharu
Summary: Dinosaurs are out! Humans have to survive against an enemy they never thought possible... and all the other threats that come with their existence. In the midst of all this, can Owen, Claire, and Maisie hope to be a family? And what about Blue? Takes place after Jurassic World:New Dawn. Read, rate, and reviews appreciated!
1. New Age

**Welcome back, loyal subjects! This prologue is in honor of the Fallen Kingdom DVD release. The story still won't be up until October thought. As you might imagine, I'm fighting to juggle the Maisie plot line so that it doesn't steal the spotlight off the dinosaurs. So fun and so excruciating at the same time! Either way, I figured I should give you guys SOMETHING to chew on.**

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"This' the best thing that could have ever happened to us!" Allie stated with glee.

"Feel your heart pumping?" Trey egged at her, entering from the kitchen to the dining room. The veins down his neck accented his own excitement. Allie winked at him, wrapping the remaining pieces of china into towels. She had forgot to bring newspapers and needed something to keep them from breaking in her bag. Pawn shops lowered their prices if the stuff was busted.

"I got the bedrooms." Louis hissed from the hall, disappointed. "Not much."

"Not much, huh?" Trey turned the unlit cigar in his mouth, eyes shifting. Allie followed his gaze to the wall beside the hutch she was looting. To the elderly couple they had cowering on two of the dining room only speed bump they had encountered in the last three days, when most of the families through the suburb had bailed. And they hadn't needed an order of evacuation to do it.

No one outside the California state lines could believe it. Allie had watched the news footage, even heard the ancient moans while she'd waited at a gas station. Dinosaurs. They had been living, breathing on an island for years, and now they were here. Not that Allie had seen one directly yet. She, Louis, and even Trey, were determined to keep it that way.

Before this week, they would've had to wait until one in the morning and park two blocks away. At first, they had kept their burglaries at night, but then Trey had suggested earlier... in retrospect it was safer with prehistoric beasts running around. But then, it was like racing the sun, seeing which of them could vanish faster! Allie couldn't deny the pleasurable pounding in her ears, the thrill awakened in her spine at the late shadows through the house. It was almost too good to be true... no keeping track of schedules, no neighborhood watches, nobody home.

Except for these stubborn folk who couldn't be persuaded to leave their home. The wife clung to her husband's shoulder, trying to keep her sobs contained. Allie flipped her smooth black ponytail in pity. Sentimental crap like that would get you killed Every time.

"You holding out, pops." Trey twirled the cigar between his tattooed fingers, coming to stand over the husband. The wrinkled man looked up over the gash he'd gotten in their blitz attack. "You have enough. Just leave."

"Yeah Trey." Louis cut in, nodding in the direction of the driveway and their car. "Let's call it a night."

That got Trey chuckling. Allie zipped her bag up, taking no part in the discussion. Trey wasn't one to have others make the decisions. He lunged, dragging the husband up by his shirt collar. "Enough isn't everything! You got something hidden somewhere, right?"

"No!" the wife pleaded, keeping a desperate hold on her husband's arm. "We don't, we swear!"

More chuckling. Allie moved around the table, catching Louis' eyes. He'd seen that grin on Trey's face too; and he knew what it meant. Trey was coming down from the high of their heist... a high he wanted to last.

 _He'll do anything to make it last._ Allie swallowed to keep her throat from going dry. "Trey, babe. We've been having a good run; let's leave it at that, alright."

Her sweet tone turned Trey's head, lifted an eyebrow at her. Allie had known him for years, know what he liked, what he needed. Her stomach dropped at seeing that her affections wouldn't satisfy this time. Trey blew a kiss at her. "Meet you two at the car."

Louis sidestepped in his growing anxiety. "Trey, c'mon-"

"Bet I could do it outside." Trey leaned in, his other hand drawing his revolver from his belt. "In broad daylight. Nobody to hear it."

The wife's sobs reached hysterical now, her body curling into her seat for a shred of safety. Allie tapped Louis' arm, nodding to the front door. She watched him struggle to not look back. It was easier when Allie slammed the front door on the couple's protests. The suburban street rested, silent and desolate in both directions, appearing almost coy in the gaining shadows. Most of the homes looked undisturbed, a few garage doors left open. They had rummaged through a forgotten suitcase on the corner. Other then that, it was untouched and untrampled by triassic feet. A few towns north of them hadn't been so lucky.

Allie got her bag situated in the trunk before hearing anguished pleas rise from the backyard. Her eyes met Louis' again, but she used it to keep him in the driveway, finish packing up. It was Trey's business, what consoled him-

"You hear that?" Louis erected, his hand on the driver's handle. Allie was going to ask him to be more specific; then heard the rustling too. Her gaze went to the bushes that cut the property off from its neighbor. The line ran to the backyard, creating a slender pathway between the hedges and the house. But the rustling there and gone in a few seconds. Allie worked past a nervous gulp. She hadn't seen anything; but that didn't really help.

"A cat or something." she stated, closing the trunk. She gave a subconscious feel of her own gun at her hip. She started at the two shots that echoed from behind the house as she did. At which, the color drained from her face. _Trey... you didn't!_

"Get it runnin'." Allie commanded, running for the back of the house. Her mind raced with her stride along the bushes. He'd only ever beat them up before! It was a tool, threatening them not to talk to the cops. He'd done it before, never crossing that line...

Allie reached the fence, swaying open and entered the backyard. "Trey!"

She skidded, taken aback by what she saw. Her expectation had been two dead bodies on the patio, in the grass by the shed. But no. Rather, the husband and wife clung to each other, their faces horror-striken. Trey hadn't shot them? Then why the gunfire?

Allie turned at an odd groaning sound; then saw Trey. And the THING eating him! Allie's mouth fell open as its scaly head lifted, revealing red-stained jaws. Flaps of skin dangled between its teeth.

 _Trey's s-skin._ Allie recognized, her stomach turning with bile. But she still grasped her gun and leveled it at the dinosaur. Amber eyes focused on it. The lips raised in a hiss. That was enough to make Allie realize her bullets were no good. She pivoted, stumbling back through the fence. "Louis! Start the-"

The force of a truck hit her from behind, slammed her to the flagstone path. The breathe left her, cutting off her scream. _I saw one! It's going to kill me! It-_

Her frantic thoughts stopped as the claws sank into her neck and back.

 **Hope you enjoyed it! I'll have more for you in a few weeks.**


	2. Jurassic Author's Note

**}{}{One Week to Go!}{}{**

Once again, I say thank you to all of your faithful reads and uplifting commentary! I hope that you all are doing well in-between reads. And that you enjoy the reading as much as I do the writing. I'll start posting **Jurassic World: New Age** by next Friday. It will involve Owen/Claire/Maisie, it will be COMPLETELY hypothetical in terms of how Jurassic World 3 might go, and IT. WILL. HAVE. DINOSAURS!

But this is only happening because of you guys so I wanted to give you another chance to add your two cents to the next installment. Leave comments for locations you would love to see dinosaurs chasing/eating people. For example, a grocery store or a train station. (I'm totally using the grocery store one either way because it's too ironic not to.) Also, if you'd like, add what dinosaur you'd like to see attacking (excluding Blue, I already have plans for her).

 **These are the dinos that survived and were let loose in Fallen Kingdom:**

Mosasaurus

stygimolocgh

allosaurus

apatosaurus (a smaller version of the brachiosaurus)

sinoceratops

triceratops and baby

ankylosaurus

compsognathus

stegosaurus

pteranodons

gallimimus

and... TYRANNOSAURUS REX!

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I look forward to hearing all of your suggestions! Please bear in mind that I might not be able to use all of them, picking the ones that either work best with the plot or have the greatest likelihood of something exploding! Have a great week!


	3. New Risings

**HERE IT IS! I've held you guys in suspense long enough so I'll get right to it!** **This picks up where 'New Dawn' left off. Enjoy, review if you feel like it, but mostly ENJOY!**

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 _The triceratops raised her head from the grass she'd been eating. She turned her head just as the allosaurus circled on the far side... its sights on her child, who was already running for her. She answered his cries and charged as the predator bent its neck and made ready to pounce! She smelled the saliva on its teeth, caught the sheen of its claws, but she bore down on her assualt. Her long horns reamed into the underbelly and she threw her weight to the left, knowing the allosaurs' body would dinosaurs widened their stances as they struggled for control of the baby squalled for its mother from the treelike, refusing to move without her._

 _The roars of the animals climbed over each other. The allosaurs clawed along the mother's head, catching her eye. Still, the triceratops gained the upper hand, pinning the allosaurs down with her right horn. She proceeded to stomp her foot over it, driving her horns further in... until they fell back, tipped in blood. The allosaurs, while wounded, picked itself up and started away. The triceratops snorted its victory, lumbering back to her baby._

 _Neither beast got very far as tranquilizers were suddenly fired. They hit their marks, though the ones going into the triceratops were more visible. The dinosaurs- even the baby- wobbled and moaned, before finally collapsing. At this, the cameras moved in. The soldiers behind them ordered the trucks brought forward, everyone moving on the double._

 _"This is one sampling of efforts by the United States' militant forces to subdue the dinosaurs." the news anchor's voiceover returned. "With so much destruction already caused across the California state, we hope it to be the first of many-"_

Rodion Aldovich looked up from the video for the two seconds needed to enter the back seat of the car. He closed the door firmly, a signal to the driver to continue on his way. By contract, there was no direct dialogue between them and whoever commanded the wheel; so long as he or she followed the rules, there was no need.

"You made it." The crusty, yet confident voice of Mr. Gavrill gave its approval from the opposite seat. He had already poured Rodion his customary tumbler of samogon.

"Bol'shoye spasibo." Rodion expressed, taking the tumbler. He passed his phone to his boss as he toasted with Mr. Gavrill and Kolov. Kolov sat in his familiar spot beside his cousin. The men downed their glasses expertly. Rodion closed his eyes, delighted with the lingering taste. He looked back up to watch Mr. Gavrill scroll through the slideshow on his phone. "The initial cleanup took a day more then expected, but it is finished. Your investments are in the clear and any loose ends have been…" his lips turned up with cruel memories. "Severed."

Kolov leaned in to catch his own glimpse of the photos. He let out a whistle. "These were all from the auction?"

Rodion closed his eyes again at the annoying interruption. Kolov was paid as a bodyguard and atop being young, thought too highly of himself.

"What Pasha was able to procure from the files." Rodion specified. "We are still working on tracing the individual accounts used to pay Mr. Mills. The other buyers were as careful as we were-"

"Trivial facts." Mr. Gavrill handed back the phone, a signal of his satisfaction. Rodion nodded his agreement, glancing over the photos once more. It was extraordinary… the Triassic beasts, alive and roaming once more. It was surreal; and yet, it was the reality hitting the world all over. The outbreak in California was just the more obvious hit.

"If this is to move forward correctly, all the necessary components are required." Mr. Gavrill assessed, rotating the tumbler in his hand. Rodion nodded. "I understand. It has, however, been a week and no response."

Kolov laughed with his second gulp of samogon. "It was a long shot in any case. I told you not to waste your time-"

"Aren't you missing a staring contest with yourself." Rodion jabbed at the man's vanity. Kolov was always undermining him, despite his twelve years in Mr. Gavrill's service!

"Ladies." Mr. Gavrill commanded their silence. He never raised his voice, proving that it wasn't necessary to evoke fear into people. Kolov relaxed against his seat, head rolling to watch out the window. "So… our next play?"

Mr. Gavrill waited for the car to complete a turn, eyes serious in their planning. He finished the samogon as the car straightened. "The American government has given its answer to their crisis. Now that we know their next move, we can make ours."

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A bird flew off of its branch, catching Maisie Lockwood's attention. Her bright brown eyes followed the bird's path as it soared, until the tree branches of the forest hid him from her. It'd been going so fast... Maisie returned to the backpack that was open in front of her, where she had been placing pliers into one of the inside pockets. She zipped up the pocket and looked again for the bird.

Maisie was enjoying this new road her life had taken. Her favorite thing though was being outside, learning the terrain with Owen. She'd gone outside on occasion at Grandpa's- picnics mostly- but had never been allowed farther then the 'grounds'. She didn't have those limits here. She'd gone into the town below Owen's place in the Sierra Nevada Mountains! There was a lake, a meadow where they were building a cabin, and a thick forest that led up to several snowy peaks. Maisie knew they were far away, but she liked thinking they were right in her backyard. Her lungs were ever hyper with the cool air and there was so much to learn out here! It made it easy to forget the things that made her sad.

"I don't want to leave." Maisie said aloud with a shrug. Owen looked up from the proud pine he was crouched beside, checking on the motion sensor. "We're coming back, Maze."

"But I might miss something while we're away." Maisie exclaimed, the last few days racing through her mind. "We discovered those fawns yesterday; their spots could disappear! And we didn't finish the roof like we wanted-"

"And," Owen threw in the screwdriver and closed the pack. "We'll miss the passing of a two-headed calf. Only happens every five hundred years."

Maisie pushed his arm as she grabbed the pack, shouldering its weight. "Claire's right, you're not serious about _anything._ "

Owen laughed with a final glance at the sensor. It was one of the three that surrounded the cabin, alerting them if certain animals got within a one-mile radius. He spoke into his walkie-talkie. "It workin' Claire?"

The walkie beeped and Claire Dearing Grady's voice came through the static. "Yes… I can't believe you reduced me to desk duty…"

Owen took his finger off the button, cutting her off. She had said the same thing at the first and second sensors. He grinned at Maisie as they started walking. "Gotta keep the house balanced, kid. Workaholic attitudes like Claire's have been known to brainwash people."

Maisie giggled at that, trying hopelessly to match the tall man's stride. _I better hit a growth spurt soon!_

"Your trailer's never looked cleaner." She joked to his back.

"Because everything's packed in the car." Owen said as their hike took them up into the trees. When they got back, they'd be throwing their gear into said car and driving to Carson City. It was in Nevada and it was their designated 'safe haven' for the coming weeks. Maisie had been warned that it would be a long drive since they had to go _around_ the mountains. And Claire wanted to map out her education while they drove. She had purchased an assessment manual for every subject. Maisie groaned at the thought of them piled in the back seat.

"She made a list for which subjects she thinks I should study, first to last." Maisie mentioned. "And she wants me to rate each one based on likability." She rolled her eyes up at him. "Who does that?"

Owen answered with an odd pride. "Claire Grady, that's who." He looked back, gauging the pack lopsided on her back. "You need me to carry that?"

Maisie stared up the path that climbed the hill, before dipping down and reaching the far side of the lake. She'd been carrying the pack all morning and she _was_ a little tired. Sunlight marked the grass in patches and that reminded her. "Sure. But I want to practice my directions again."

Owen glimpsed his watch. "Maisie, we need to get back-"

"I might not always have a compass." Maisie referred to the present he was promising for her birthday. That was five months from now, emphasizing her point. She shrugged the backpack off, eyeing Owen eagerly. He took it, throwing a hand up in surrender. "Find the position of the sun."

Maisie backed up a few feet, where the leaves were thinner and allowed more sky through. She knew it was morning, but the tilt of the sun coming through helped her to place it more accurately. She stepped into a warm halo, pointing her thumb up to hide the sun. "East."

She dragged her thumb down through the air, arm stark straight. She then pointed in the opposite direction with her other arm. "West."

Owen folded his arms. "Making the cabin where?"

Maisie concentrated, pressing her brain cells together. She pointed to Owen's left. "South… by southeast."

Owen followed her point, cocking an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Maisie's confidence faltered a bit, dropping her arm. "I… think…"

"Cuse when you're right," Owen beamed. "You're right."

"You're horrible." Maisie spat, though her chest swelled with pride. They resumed their trek and she climbed on a fallen trunk to follow the incline. This somehow caught her up to Owen and she jumped down. The earth let out a rumble as she did.

Maisie stumbled to all fours and looked up at Owen, startled. That footstep had been _way_ too loud for the sinoceratops. So far it had been the only dinosaur in their vicinity. An herbivore, harmless if left alone. But there were still the others to worry about… she had released many dinosaurs that rainy night, from Grandpa's manor. She had heard a few news stories, how the dinosaurs were causing damage, and people… Claire and Owen decided not to talk about it around her anymore. Maisie didn't like being treated like a child, but was silently happy that they didn't. Having only to watch out for the sino and a pack of compsognathus in the area, they had been fairly removed from the carnage.

 _Until now?_ Maisie wondered, cringing as another footfall jostled her.

Owen went into his silent, squinting mode, extending a hand to get Maisie up. There was a long, breathless pause… then another rumbling footstep. Followed by a long moan that spooked any birds out of the nearby trees. Maisie glanced up, watching through the branches. Until one of them moved!

"Apatosaurus." Owen relaxed slightly at the gray and tan head lifting above the treetops. It seemed a ways off, just before the foot hills where the forest was cut off by rocks. Otherwise, they would've heard the trees snapping and falling in its massive wake.

Maisie got her footing, then edged forward to get a better look. An apatosaurus was a smaller cousin to the brachiosaurus, but it was still tall, thick-necked, and lazy-eyed. It snorted, surveyed the trees, then dipped its snout for a leafy bite. Maisie continued forward, taking in the spectacular animal. She had seen plenty of pictures, played with a lot of the toys, and with all the times she had watched the sino, this still astounded her. The apatosaurus was so calm, minding its own business; enjoying the day like she was. Maisie swallowed. _And she's going to die._

That was the reason she and Owen and Claire needed to leave. Everyone within the state of California was being evacuated, to make room so that the military could issue coordinated attacks on them. Maisie didn't know how; only that given another week, dinosaurs would be extinct again. That was the decision of the government; and it put an unsettled pit in Maisie's stomach.

Owen's hand was suddenly on her shoulder. "Pretty cool. You okay?"

"They're… alive." Maisie sighed, tilted her head back to view the apatosaurus's height. She thought of the Indoraptor, of the compies that had attacked Owen. The fear she'd felt each time had been real. Still, this took her breath away.

"Dinosaurs can't live like this, Maisie." Owen squeezed her shoulder. "You can."

Maisie rested her head against him. They observed the apatosaurus chomping, then sending out another call. It sounded happy.

"Let's head in." Owen said after a minute, turning back up the hill. Maisie followed, lingering a glance or two back at the dinosaur.

 **Off to a good start?**


	4. New Evasions

"I can assure you, Senator Sherwood." Claire switched ears on her phone, shoulder aching from holding it while she etched notes in her planner. "Dr. Rodriguez's work is more then credible."

She listened to the senator relyed his latest conversation with the paleo-veterinarian. She winced; yep, that sounded like Zia. She looked out the window as the bushes and dirt were fading into sidewalks and houses. Civilization!

"Dr. Rodriguez is very… forth-coming in her opinions." Claire placed as much confidence into that as she could muster. From the driver's seat, Owen snorted a laugh. Claire bit her lip to keep from making her own. "But she's been on Isla Nublar, as well as tended a velociraptor. Her input would be irreplaceable."

The senator sighed and then complied. Claire smiled. "She'll be happy to hear it. Thank you… We'll talk soon."

Claire hung up, dropping the phone into her purse. "Zia's going to sit in on the conference."

"Lucky us." Owen snickered. "I was afraid I'd fall asleep."

Claire ignored him, adding Zia's name to the list. "I'm going to have to email her my talking points…"

"You do that." Owen turned the corner. "I'll bring the popcorn."

"Is she that funny to watch?" Maisie giggled from the back seat.

"You can be the judge during the conference." Claire kept the planner from slipping off her legs, eyeing the names she had written. It was now her, Owen, and Zia with Senator Sherwood and two others; both DPG funders of the past year. Senator Sherwood was being cagey about the details to be discussed; only that it concerned the future of the DPG, which had Claire hopeful. She had twenty-six employees- aside from Franklin and Zia- to consider and sitting on her hands the past eleven days had been torture. Minus the hearings in Palo Alto, it had been day-in and day-out at Owen's trailer, leg propped up and stitches itching like crazy! And she hadn't worn anything other then faded t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers the whole time… including right now!

"I'm going to need a new outfit for this presentation." Claire tapped her pen on as she flipped to the back for her talking points. Her motivations for this went deeper then what she'd be wearing. She was counting on her actions now to fix her actions of the past.

"Wear what you wore to Palo Alto." Owen suggested. "Besides, they'll only see your top."

Claire shot an exasperated breath at her husband. "Regular people own more then one shirt, Owen."

"So… pants are optional then?"

"Don't you dare!" Claire swung the planner at him. Maisie's giggle grew as Owen kept his arm up for protection. He pointed to a road sign for distraction. "Nevada border, six miles. That'll be our last stop before Carson City."

"Good, I'm _dying_ back here." Maisie bumped her fist on the stack of books Claire had bought. "Bet I'm the only kid in the state that's stuck with homework right now."

Claire twisted around, giving the girl her serious brow. "They're assessments, Maisie."

"I already told you, I'm in Year 5." Maisie rolled her head back, huffing.

"Well, I need to find out what that translates to…" Claire fumbled. "In American education. It might not be the same standard."

Owen quirked his eyebrow at her. "I feel like 'we' should be offended by that."

Claire glared again as he slowed to an intersection. "If you were any help, you'd tell her that this' good for her."

"Claire, it is." Owen exasperated a laugh. "But it's not something she needs right this minute."

"The year's going to be half over before she sets foot in a classroom." Claire tried reasoning to them. "They might want to hold her back if they're unsure what grade level she is."

Either that or homeschooling. Both had pros and cons and Claire had listed them. It had occurred to her to call Iris and ask about it, but Claire didn't want to seem skimpy on any responsabilty concerning Maisie. With Iris' blessing, they were to be Maisie's parents- or rather guardians- soon. The British woman was straightening out Benjamin Lockwood's affairs, but then officiating Maisie's adoption was the next thing.

 _Boy, I make it sound like a business merger._ Claire grumbled internally. _Does Maisie get that feeling when I talk to her? Do I need to watch my tone with her?_

"Well, maybe _Maisie_ would like the extra year of school." Owen moved the car forward as the light switched to green. "Gain some social skills."

Claire's eyes narrowed on him. "She's not one of the raptors, Owen."

"Ugh," came Maisie's annoyed cry. "Mum, enough!"

Claire stilled, heart thumping with the tread of the car over the road. _What did she call me?_

Owen eyed the rearview mirror along with Claire. Maisie peeked through her fingers at them, equally surprised.

"Um," Claire settled back in her seat, warmth growing in her chest as the word sank in. "Ok… OWEN!"

He snapped to attention and braked. Narrowly avoiding a collision with an army hummer. This jolted them into noticing their surroundings; a sublet of South Lake Tahoe, almost completely deserted like any other town they had passed. The only regular personal had been divisions of the military, all of them devoted to one thing. Containing any and all dinosaurs within the vicinity. Claire's bearings came full circle as the doors to the army vehicle opened and soldiers rose out, their guns at the ready. Her hand found Owen's arm as he threw the car in reverse.

"What're they aiming at?" Maisie pulled herself up for a better look. Claire pushed her back. "Get your seat belt on!"

The guns fired, hot lead spitting into the alleyway the soldiers blocked off. A frightened and enraged shriek rose above the ruckus. Claire clutched at the dashboard as Owen maneuvered them back- only to hit the car behind them. There was a mad honk, but Owen only concerned himself with backing away from the abrupt war zone. A dinosaur, brown and green and wily on its two legs, charged out of the alley, knocking two standing soldiers back with its head. Claire trembled "Which-"

"Gallmimus." Maisie named, hands gripping the head of Claire's seat.

Gallmimus. And it was headed right for them, eyes wild and scared! It rocked their front fender with shocking force, scurrying to escape. The front wheels left the ground, the gallmimus' tail whipping around, breaking Claire's side mirror. Maisie screamed and Claire cringed at the sound of claws scrapping the hood. Owen fought with the wheel to keep their vehicle upright, still in reverse. Claire glanced over to see his eyes go wide. "Get down!"

The bullets were already striking the windshield as he said it. Claire sank against the grain of her seat, arm twisting over the console to the back. "Maisie, floor!"

The leather punctured where her head had been, noise on top of noise- dinosaur shriek, gunfire, tires squealing. Owen bared down, backing them at an angle to clear them of the hummer. Claire wasn't sure of their direction after that, but he braked again moments later; after pushing their back tires over the curb. Claire fought to catch her breath, the windshield dusty and cracked before her. "O-Owen?"

"Yeah." He assured her. "Maisie?"

"I-I'm ok-k-ay." The girl said between shocked breaths. Claire eased herself up to check on her. Only Owen took her face in his hands. "You're bleeding."

"What?" Claire asked dumbly. She looked down but saw nothing, then touched her cheeks. Her right fingers came away bloody. Fire lit up Owen's eyes as he inspected the graze near the corner of Claire's right eye.

"Ow!" Claire worked his hands off as she realized the hot pain of the torn skin. Owen shifted his glare through the windshield. Claire squinted to see the soldiers, following the gallmimus. The dinosaur stumbled down the street, darting left and right for any type of cover. The soldiers blasted it from behind, and it continued to stagger. But got away. The firing halted and Claire allowed herself to breath. Only to jump again when Owen kicked his door open.

"Stay here." Claire asked of Maisie, following Owen out of the car. "Owen, wait-"

"We're going to try and cut it off." The head soldier gestured for his squad to get back in the hummer. Only to be stopped by a mad jerk from Owen. "You do any target practice lately!?"

"Stand down, sir." The soldier pushed back, weapon half-raised. Owen didn't back down. "One of your guys almost killed her!"

Claire caught up to them, knowing she made a fine statement with blood trailing down her cheek and still carrying on with a limp. Full weight wasn't an option with her thigh yet, but thankfully the stiffness was only mere soreness now. The soldier took stock of her and his expression eased slightly. "I'm sorry about that. But our orders are to contain these creatures."

"And everything else is collateral damage." Owen figured, eyes boring through the man's uniform. The soldier didn't appreciate that, widening his stance before Owen. "That dinosaur had two kids cornered in a schoolyard, so don't you talk to me about collateral damage!"

"A few shots would've scared it away." Claire insisted.

"This evacuation's in place for a reason and any _civilians_ need to follow it." The soldier stared between them. "So do us all a favor and get over the border! You can write a letter to the general officer from your cozy hotel room."

"And I'll sign it U.S. Navy." Owen yelled in his face. "We can tell the difference between a dinosaur and a civilian."

Claire rubbed her forehead with thorough embarrassment. Owen took her by the shoulder and headed back to the car. She let him guide her to the passenger door, watching as he yanked it open. "You don't need to fly off the handle."

"Being your husband, I don't mind." Owen took the first aid kit from the floor beside Maisie, who eyed them curiously. Claire huffed, taking out some gauze. "I'm capable of-"

"Claire." Owen had her by the wrist, getting her to take in his shaken expression. He let a breath pass between them. "You _are_ capable. But just let a man be a man to his woman."

Claire's eyes narrowed on him like lasers. "Every single one of those words makes me want to punch you."

Owen shrugged, his fingers working over her broken skin. The assertiveness, the caring; Claire worked her mouth to hold down the smile. "But… I _was_ really attracted to you sticking up for me, so… I'll let it slide."

Owen winked as he taped the gauze on. "Chauvinism. Works every time."

"I'll be using this kit as a barf bag." Maisie broke into the moment. Claire had to laugh with Owen as he handed the kit to her. She waited for him to shut the car door. "Traumatizing childhood memories. We might nail this parent thing after all."

"Yeah we will." Owen assured her, catching the small of her back. "Now kiss me and make the pain go away."

Claire's nose scrunched in confusion. "I'm the one in pain."

"No. The pain of nearly losing you."

 _Why would corny lines like that ever work?_ Claire shook her head, but complied, happy to taste her lips. It grounded her, making her forget how busy and tense the rest of her life was. And Claire was finding it nice to forget.

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"So it's confirmed then." Dr. Henry Wu spoke breathlessly over the line.

"Yes." His associate repeated. "With the proper resolutions, we should be able to saturate the cells."

"How long?" Henry asked, breaking from his pace between the counters.

"Over the next few weeks." The employee stated. "Of course observation will take longer, but once the cells are in proper storage-"

"Whatever you have to do." Henry insisted. "This is too important to second guess… if we want any semblance of this company to survive."

"Sir, you haven't worked with this company in three years."

Henry gritted his teeth. "The future of InGen and companies like it have always been my top priority. They provide the means and resources to open gateways that would otherwise be impassable. Now, are you going to continuing questioning me or move ahead with those samples?"

The submissive silence gave him a satisfactory answer. "We'll see you in a few weeks, sir."

Henry hung up, just before the ninety seconds alarm went off on his watch. Any calls he'd been making lasted under this mark, to ensure no one traced it. His entire existence since escaping Lockwood estate had been hushed tones and encrypted emails. They had emptied the labs the minute that Mills had informed him about the Indoraptor. With rushed precision, the twenty two embryos and dinosaur eggs had been moved to different locations for security reasons… and his not being at any of them was pushing his blood pressure to the ceiling.

There had always been a backup plan, should the lab have ever been found out. But the release of the dinosaurs was where it got tricky to move from one location to another. Thankfully, their funding wasn't so much a problem. Mills had been siphoning Lockwood's money under the guise of a subsidiary of InGen. Believable enough, given the billionaire's history with John Hammond. Dr. Wu remembered Benjamin Lockwood as a bit more grounded then Hammond, playing practical, rather then pushing the impossible. A true yin to Hammond's yang in the unearthing of long-lost dinosaur DNA.

 _That DNA's my responsibility now._ Henry eyed the micro plate incubator beside him. _It's what will keep my name at the forefront of the scientific community._

Even he could admit that this had gotten out of hand. Their discoveries were costing people far more then they could've imagined. But even that couldn't interfere with their work. It was too important.


	5. New Demands

Owen caught Maisie's eye as they pulled up to the manmade gate that was established at the state line. She was holding her chin up bravely while her hands played with each other in anxiety.

"It'll be fine." Claire smiled encouragement back at her.

Funny, since Owen had been the one encouraging her over the last two days. California's borders that been turned into checkpoints, emails sent out requiring anyone who came through to show their IDs and other red tape. Owen hadn't read the email Claire had shoved in his face, and he still hadn't bothered to turn on his cell phone. He knew they might ask who Maisie was, but they weren't going to press for her identity. Any and all assumptions would be that she was their daughter and they'd roll on through, unhindered.

"What if they ask me something?" Maisie whispered, like that would keep her accent from slipping through.

"You answer them." Owen told her. "You got nothing to hide."

She eyed him, like _really?_

"Belief and confidence go hand in hand, Maze." Owen braked, prepping to roll down his window. "You'll fail at one without the other."

Now Claire gave him a look. "Something you picked up from the navy?"

"Hey, I listened to my CO every now and then." Owen shrugged.

Maisie absorbed his fortune cookie either way, settling back against her seat. "Okay, Owen."

 _Still no 'dad'?_ Owen thought at random as the soldier stepped up to his side. "IDs, please."

Owen and Claire handed them over, Claire's nails tapping on the console. Her way of lightening the mood? Owen eyed her hand, then her, and she stopped.

"Owen Grady." The solider read off the plastic, handing back Claire's license. Owen caught Claire's eyes as he passed the license to her. He nodded to the soldier. "Yep, that's me."

"Chief Petty Officer Owen Grady?" The solider expanded his question, looking Owen over. His gaze and the old title made Owen feel exposed. "Haven't been for a long time."

The soldier gave his license back. "Drive to the green tent and wait there for Sergeant Terry."

Owen's throat went dry, the rest of him getting annoyed. "There a problem?"

"You'll have to ask the sergeant." The soldier told him, motioned for them to move along. Owen puffed out his breath and steered the car away from Nevada and to the green tent that must have been serving as headquarters.

"Any ideas what that's about?" Claire jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Owen shook his head. "None."

"Maybe that run-in with the other soldiers?" Maisie suggested, leaning in for a better look at the tent and the people walking in and out of it.

"We didn't give our names." Owen said, rubbing his side at the recent memory. He tried to think if the name Sergeant Terry was familiar.

"Give me your phone." Claire was already grabbing it out of the cup holder. She looked at him in exasperation. "When's the last time this thing was on?"

"How long have we been working on the cabin." Owen answered. Claire shook her head. "You would fit in perfectly with the earliest caveman-" She gaped at the phone, then at him. "You have _12_ missed calls from DC."

"Yeah, probably an old girlfriend." Owen deadpanned, getting a nervous giggle out of Maisie. Claire grunted. "I'll call her back. See if she wants to switch places."

She was so cute when she bantered with him! Owen would've egged her on had he not spotted a trim, older-looking officer making his way for the car. Owen reassured Maisie with a grin before he got out. He left the door open for the benefit of their ears as the officer stopped before him. "Mr. Grady, I'm Sergeant Terry."

He offered a hand, to which Owen gave a stiff shake. The sergeant produced an envelope from his front pocket. "I've been posted here since the outbreak. We received orders from the Department of Defense, six days ago, to detain you when you came through and to give you this."

The annoyance shifted to dread. Owen took the envelope, opened it, and read the single typed paper that was inside. He heard Maisie shift in her seat, attesting to his own uneasiness.

"Owen?" Claire finally asked. Owen stared at her. "I'm assigned to help in containing the 'outbreak'. Due to my… previous field work." He read off the letter. It was asking him to analyze and indicate the locations of the dinosaurs; not that he could repeat the specific details to her. It was dated and signed by the secretary of defense.

"This isn't my call." Terry stated flatly. "But, we're in a moment of crisis here. And orders are orders. To ignore them would give me grounds to arrest you."

"What?" Claire cried.

"I've got a responsibility here, ma'am." Terry explained, measuring gazes with Owen. "Look, the longer we argue, the greater our chances of being dino meat. And enough people have been that already."

A little gasp escaped Maisie, but Sergeant Terry didn't seem to notice. "I'm sorry if you feel forced Mr. Grady."

Owen shared an indecisive look with Claire. Which Terry picked up on. "I can give you a few minutes. But then you need to report to our operations tent. You'll be briefed there."

He turned on his heel and walked away. Just like that! Owen couldn't believe this. Did he have a sign taped to his back that said _Disrupt my life!_? He looked back in at the girls, both staring in disbelief. And uncertainty. He had been prepared to wait this out, get some better footing as husband and father, then jump right back into building their life- literally. Why was that never an option? Did it ever occur to _anyone_ that he didn't have to always save the day? Owen caught Maisie watching him. "You don't have a choice, do you?"

 _What're we teaching her about sticking with your responsibilities?_ Had been one of Claire's arguments when they were going back and forth on what to do. It was something they agreed on; whether or not they had a kid to think about. Owen had had a responsibility on Isla Nublar. To study Blue and the other raptors' development, to train that development. When exactly had that responsibility gotten away from him? Listening to Hoskins? Taking the job in the first place? Either way, he was here now. And he was expected to fix it, one way or the other. And there was also the threat of being arrested. Owen rolled a shoulder, stating aloud. "The sooner it's done, the sooner we're home, right?"

Claire's response was to exit the car and march around the front. "If you're staying, I'm staying."

"No you're not." Owen told her, making for the trunk to get his duffel out. Maisie scrambled out and followed them. "We could stay on base, away from-"

"How long would it take for anyone to start asking questions." Owen popped the trunk open. "We can say you're adopted, but we don't have any paperwork yet to prove it. Plus, Claire, you're doing that chat room."

"Video conference." Claire's hands adorned her hips. "And they're asking for both of us. We can just-"

"No." Owen drew himself up in front of Maisie and Claire, so that they both understood. "The less attention we draw, the better. That means me staying here and you two going on to Carson City."

Claire opened her mouth to protest, but Maisie beat her to it. She grabbed a corner of Owen's duffel, like she might tug-a-war for it. "They've already got plenty of people to help them."

"Apparently not enough." Owen sighed at her.

"You were finally going to tell me about the raptors." Maisie reminded him, verging on a whine. "About Blue."

"There's plenty of time for that." Owen reasoned, getting his duffel back. "You've got those videos to look over."

She considered that, still unhappy about the deviation. A lot had been asked of her in regards to change. Owen guessed that adding more didn't help their efforts to offer her stability. He was glad that the Iris lady wasn't here to witness it. His face still burned from the last glare she'd given him.

Maisie squared her gaze on Owen, determination and courage rising in her eyes. "I'll have a boatload of questions when you get back."

Owen grinned. "Bring it on."

Maisie grinned back, hugging him. Owen hugged her hard, glancing at Claire over her head. "I'm gonna leave the rifle with you. And," he pointed to his temple. "Reapply bandages to that tonight. Any nausea, dizziness, or tightness, go to the hospital. Maisie, it's your job to make her go."

"Promise." Maisie crossed her heart. "You guys need a minute?"

Claire blushed and Maisie rolled her eyes. She dodged back into the back seat as Owen pulled Claire close. She studied him in a deep gaze. The one her eyes took on when she was focused on making something count. She had started using it after the disaster at the park; he liked it. Owen enjoyed liking things about her.

"Well," she broke their spell, fingers lacing his. "You going to keep staring or say something witty, killing the mood completely?"

Owen chuckled as they kissed. Claire stopped him after a second, her grip tight on his arm "Don't you _dare_ get eaten."

"As if." Owen mustered, a little surprised at her force. Maybe he needed to get drafted more often. "At least you won't have to blame yourself if I die."

"That's not-"

Owen kissed her again, knowing it wasn't funny. But funny was what he did best. He finally backed off, his resolve to stay weakening. "Love you."

Claire caught her breath, hand curling around the car keys he gave her; and her wedding ring. "Love you."

She hesitated again, then turned and got in the car. Owen came up alongside, shared a final wave with Maisie, and stared after them as they drove away. He clutched his bag tight with a sigh, wheeling towards the tent. _Let's get this over with._

 **}{}{}{}{**

Avery was excited to be taking the train, even if it looked like it'd be crowded. Glass and criss-crossed scaffolding towered over them in a dome that made up the main platform of the station. Teller booths, closed by now, ran along the curved walls, along with restrooms, souvenir shops, and waiting areas. Not that anyone was using those. There were two trains still to depart and families, couples, singles, they all waited anxiously for the staff to clear them to board. Still, Avery couldn't deny the giddiness she was experiencing. She'd played with trains a lot as a kid- thanks, Grandpa- and had always wanted to ride a real one. She was going on thirteen, and wouldn't be able to stick with her childhood much longer. Junior high was full of make-up, selfies in the hallway, and boys!

"I can't believe there's still this many people here!" Mom huffed, handing a suitcase off to Morris, Avery's brother. "The state's _supposed_ to be evacuated!"

"It's a state of forty million people, Mom." Morris glanced up. "And we're still here, so…"

"Because we needed to be sure that Dad was taken care of." Mom reiterated, a catch in her throat. Grandpa had been put on dialysis last year, and his doctors had advised against him being moved. A lot of the doctors and hospital staff were staying in the state, even with most people gone. They would be on stand by to help the soldiers… if they needed it.

"We're all set to leave now, so let's go." Dad came up on their group, tickets and briefcase in hand. They would've taken a plane to Dad's parents, but they'd waited too long. Everything was booked or grounded, and their car battery had failed- again. Avery was denying the ominous feel it gave her stomach, focusing on the train ride ahead.

"And we're moving." Morris announced, shuffling after Mom with the luggage. Avery pulled on her own suitcase, the wheels jerking over the cement platform. She held up her phone, snapping her smile alongside their transportation. They waited their turn to board, people scrambling to have their tickets checked and get on. Avery felt their tension easily. It was an eerie feeling that had overcome the state. Watching the military go by in their bulky green trucks, seeing no planes overhead. Shops and businesses were shut down, or raided of supplies. Avery's town was prone to robbery and property damage, but even their streets had gone quiet as people had left. She still texted with her friends, but the knowing that they weren't just down the street… not knowing when they'd be coming back.

 _They will._ Avery clicked another photo, checking it over for blurry edges. _We'll be back, everything will be open, and I'll start middle school… this angle would look better in sequoia._

Avery made the note to Photoshop the image later.

"Avery," Dad gestured back to her. "Ticket."

Distant screams jerked everyone's heads to the gaping doors of the station. Several people were bursting through them and Avery had one second to register the massive shape distorted through the glass before it smashed in after them. Mom screamed as Avery stumbled back, tripping both her and Morris. The dinosaur surveyed the scrambling crowd and let out a deafening roar that vibrated on all the walls. Avery covered her ears, but she couldn't close her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the dark scales, the large clawed feet, and… it had horns! Like one of the monsters raging out of Dante's _Inferno!_

"Avery!" Mom shrieked, her nails ripping Avery up by her arm. Luggage deserted, Mom held her close while Morris and Dad pushed them closer to the train. Avery continued watching as the carnivore zeroed in on a fleeing man. Mouth opened, it charged and caught him, crushing its meal into one of the pillars. Avery watched the man go limp, heard the crunch of the dinosaur's teeth through his muscle and bone. _W-We're next… I'M NEXT!_

"Let us in!" Morris screamed out at the helpless bottleneck everyone had created at the train doors. Dad was whipping his head around for a way in while Avery listened to Mom's hyperventilating. The dinosaur looked up from his bite, roared again with clothes and skin hanging out of its mouth.

"The restrooms." Dad had a hand on Morris' shoulder, another on Mom's keeping them in a protected circle. Avery managed to look toward them; on the other side of the platform! Mom tried to speak. "We… can't make that!"

"Run, NOW!" Dad ordered, getting Mom and Avery to follow him. Avery's legs obeyed, the shakes and jolts of the dinosaur's steps drowned her own. More screams, more crunches, all pushing her faster. She nearly tripped again as they reached the doorway, only to have Dad catch her and cram her in with everyone else. Avery righted to see Morris gaping out the doorless threshold.

 _Don't look, don't look!_ Avery told herself; but she did. Her parents copied her, unable to look away as the dinosaur rammed the train they'd been about to board. It broke the windows, letting loose the screams of the people inside. The dinosaur backed up, lowered its head, and rammed the train car, rocking it. The sounds of terror intensified as it hit again. On its fourth try, the carnivore succeeded in tipping the car over. How much did that weigh? Avery couldn't remember; her chin quivered with the shock of seeing it reduced to a paperweight. Mom pulled her back with the rest of them. Avery slid down the wall with her, the shaking and shock moving over her whole body. Mom covered her mouth so no sound came out.

 _Normal._ Avery recalled the word, listening to the echoes of the dino's feet; as though mocking her hopes. Nothing was normal anymore.


	6. New Concerns

"I love it." Maisie adjusted the sleeves of her dress. "You don't-"

Claire positioned her phone, snapping a picture of the yellow dress with beehives on it. It was the third one Maisie had tried on, but Claire had noticed the extra twirl she'd taken in the mirror. They would be getting that one for sure. Claire had secured an outfit for her conference tomorrow, and was spending their first day in Carson City to Maisie's benefit. Leaving Owen behind had brought them both down and Claire was using the age-old tactic of distraction to lift them back up.

 _How has a kid never been inside a mall before?_ Claire remained baffled, recalling Maisie's gape as they'd entered the five-story structure, a few blocks from their hotel. They'd tried Japanese at the food court, browsed a bookstore, attempted to win a stuffed animal out of the rigged claw games and now carried shopping bags that boasted various clothing lines. The whirl of activity gave Claire new adrenaline, watching Maisie experience all the new moments.

"Can that be enough?" Maisie slumped out of her pose and Claire lowered her phone. "Of the dresses or the pictures?"

Maisie laughed, but the fatigue stayed in her eyes. Not only that, but she appeared flushed.

"It has been a long day." Claire agreed, given their non-stop pace. It was all an abrupt change after Owen's isolated mountaintop. Uh man, had she overwhelmed her? Fed her with sensory overload? Was that a thing; a harmful thing? Claire put her phone away, gathering her purse and bags. "Let's get back to the hotel."

"Okay Claire." Maisie headed for the dressing room. Claire waited the few minutes, giving the girl a peculiar stare when she came back out. "We're back to 'Claire' now?"

Maisie blushed as they took the dress to the cashier. "It just slipped out; you and Owen were frazzling me."

Claire smiled at the cashier and paid for the dress. "Blame Owen when he's not here to defend himself. Clever."

Maisie groaned, sticking close as they once again joined the crowds that choked the halls of the mall. "Did you two have a bet going or something?"

Claire pretended to think about it, before giving a sheepish nod. "Owen owes me twenty bucks when he gets back."

Maisie's eyebrows and expression perked. "When will that be?"

 _Honestly?_ Claire wondered. "When this it over."

Maisie heard the drag in her voice and her chin dropped. "I'm sor-"

"Hey." Claire halted a few feet from the escalator so she faced Maisie. "We're done with that. Right?"

Maisie's nod was hesitant. Claire brushed the girl's brown hair back and brought her chin up. "You're more confident then this and I want to see you act like it. We make mistakes, Maisie, choices based on what we know. We fix them by making better choices in the future."

"I know."

"Then stop with the 'sorrys', ok." Claire stared her down, until Maisie nodded. Boldly this time.

 **}{}{}{}{**

"Franklin?" Owen spoke over Sergeant Terry's overview of the base. Franklin Webb looked up through his wide glasses and relief washed over his scrawny face. He stood up from the row of laptops he was working at with six others. "Owen! Great to see you."

"They got you too, huh?" Owen laughed as they shook hands. Franklin looked at Sergeant Terry, gulped and the timidness returned. "I was… invited in when the Internet nearly crashed." He paused, looking unsure. "I'm… allowed to tell him this, right?"

Sergeant Terry looked mildly irritated as he nodded. "Yes. Grady's going to be working on our location and reconnaissance team. We'll be using your team's data on that."

Franklin breathed easier. "Okay. Good call."

Owen forced himself not to laugh. This poor little shrimp had probably been jumping at every order and drill happening on this base. It was a basic set up of six tents; two for sleeping, one for main operations. Another was the mess hall and the one they were in right now for communications. He couldn't lie though; a familiar face was welcoming.

"We've started a data mining operation with Webb filtering the results to us as fast as our analysts can punch out." Sergeant Terry gestured to the laptops, most of which displayed several video URLs at once. Franklin nodded, coming to stand next to his. "Social media's getting slammed with home videos of dinosaurs in backyards, parks, pretty much wherever they want…" he heaved a sigh. "and then the protest videos."

Franklin clicked on a desktop file to show a lengthy list of URLs, alphabetized by state and county. He clicked on one from Illinois. A camera panned a half-sitting, half-standing crowd outside a city hall. Colorful signs and posters jumped for the chance at screen time.

"They deserve life!" someone yelled outside the frame. Franklin looked back at Owen, brow raised before Terry asked. "See the problem?"

Owen nodded; Claire had been following a few groups, holding him aware of the parallel battlefronts they'd be facing.

"By applying certain parameters," Franklin sat down, fingers snapping like lightening over the keys. "We have the computers continuously downloading any social media involving dinosaurs. Our job is to divide the protests from the actual sightings. Once that's done, we send the useful ones to operations' hard drives, where they're able to pinpoint their movements."

"We'll be better equipped to coordinate attacks that way." Sergeant Terry stated.

"Sounds like a lot." Owen's stomach cringed at the thought of looking through any of it. Terry confirmed his fears, turning away from their row of geeks. "You'll be helping analyzing the data that we get, mostly filling in the blanks where our data may fail us. You've got three days to catch up on."

He was already walking away and Owen knew he was expected to follow. He hung back though, eyeing Franklin. "Anything on-"

"Blue." Franklin kept his voice down. "Nothing yet."

What had he been hoping for? Owen nodded his thanks, starting after the sergeant.

"See you at dinner?" Franklin suggested hopefully. He leaned in a little to show off his begging eyes. "Please say yes. I don't know how to talk to anyone here!"

Owen clapped Franklin on the shoulder. "See you at eighteen-hundred, kid."

"Great." Franklin smiled. "Uh… wh-when's that?"

Owen chuckled on his way to operations tent with Terry. There he was presented with maps; topographical, physical, and road atlases of every section of the state, taped in duplicate over a table and bulletin board. Sergeant Terry was giving him the rest of the evening to look the maps over and note the movements they had marked so far. He was introduced- briefly- to a few of the fellow officers. Including the genius, Lt. Colonel Placer, who had gotten Claire shot. Owen forced a curt nod at the man, who was as rough looking without his helmet and field gear.

"We've had troops in the army, the coast guard, and the National Guard tasked with 'herding' them away from the metropolitan areas." Placer explained, tapping a few key points that had been marked in the last 24 hours. "Basically whatever wooded area is the closest. It's keeping them there that's proving difficult."

"Have you tried driving them to the nearest body of water?" Owen suggested. "It's the first element an animal will make itself familiar with and stick close to. Lake, river, whatever."

Lt. Colonel Placer eyed Owen. "That an InGen guarantee?"

Owen wasn't fazed. "You're not asking InGen, you're asking me."

"There a difference?" Placer snorted.

"Lieutenant, you may go now." A look from Sergeant Terry and Placer left the tent. Terry went on to point out what progress had been made within the last three days. Each dinosaur had its own symbol and color, a trail of each pinned across the maps. Owen went between the legend and the dinosaurs marked across the state. There were six confirmed pteranodons, seeming to form a pattern between California, Nevada, and into Baja. He held back a smirk. _Staying where they know there's a water supply._

The T-rex was rampaging through Death Valley National Park; lovely. Owen shuffled the map further down the state, impressed how far south some of the dinosaurs had gotten. The stegosaurus had last raged its way through a suburban area west of Fresno. The triceratops and its baby had already been corralled before reaching Yuba City; the least threatening, considering. But…

"Why are you still holding it?" Owen asked, tapping the photo taken of the prehistoric pair. "And an allosaurus? Your men were all hair triggers on the gallmimus earlier."

Sergeant Terry gave a disgruntled nod. "You heard Congress when they made the announcement. Co-existence is impossible, sure. But they also can't ignore the impact that bringing dinosaurs back to life has had in the field of genetic engineering."

"Meaning?" Owen eyed the sergeant head on. Terry's expression was military-grade stone, giving away nothing. "Meaning that Lockwood's sanctuary might not go to waste."

Owen lowered the map he'd been holding, thoughts going to Claire's video conference. They'd be discussing the future of the DPG… what future did it have however, _without_ dinosaurs?

"They _still_ think it's a good idea to keep these things alive." Owen stated, fingers curling on the edge of the table. Terry didn't answer. Somehow, the silence, gave Owen better clarity, letting the pieces fall into their obvious places.

"I don't envy them, the 'generals' of the capital." Terry admitted, hands clasped behind him, eyes scrolling the maps on the bulletin board. "They continue to worry about what'll please people, rather then save them."

Owen felt the weight of those words. He had served and knew, if even one pencil pusher stood in the field for ten minutes… He sighed. The press conference had either been a lie, or Claire had missed a few details. Which was unlikely. Owen didn't consider this stretching, looking for a connection to the 'confinement' of the dinosaurs and Claire's upcoming meeting. It was more like predicting the next steps in an all too predictable pattern of human behavior.

"You realize that all information shared here is classified." Terry's commanding tone returned. "What we need from you is intel on how to migrate, getting them where we need them… including that raptor of yours."

Owen had already thought plenty of running into Blue. Just like on the island, he was the only one that could get near her. Course, there was the matter of finding her first. Franklin said they'd found nothing, and the maps backed that up. Meaning that she was evading. And she was doing a good job of it.

 _She adapted pretty quick…_ Owen couldn't help thinking.

"Anything you can produce tonight will be helpful." Terry advised, heading for the tent flap. "A secondary headquarters is being set up outside San Jose. You and I will be taking a charter flight out there in the morning."

"I think I'd be better here-" Owen looked up, but found Sergeant Terry gone. Sure, orders were orders and weren't to be questioned. Ugh.

Aside from the work and stiff sleep on a cot, Owen measured the next fourteen hours by the meals he took- with Franklin- and the texts he sent to Claire. In turn, Claire sent him photos of Maisie's first mall trip. He had to smile at the kid's hamish poses. When he didn't have notifications and unknown numbers irritating him. This was the longest he'd had his phone on in a while and his inbox was beyond full.

His first plan of ignoring it failed, waking up the next morning to fifty new messages and emails. Owen deleted most of this junk on the drive with Sergeant Terry to the airstrip along Lake Tahoe. He watched the Sierra Nevada range grow smaller, the cluster of peaks hiding his cabin- and the sinoceratops that occupied its backyard. He really should've just killed it, saved some tax dollars. Only Maisie had been with him every time the notion had entered his head. Owen couldn't bring himself to expose her to that.

 _So what's she going to think when she sees the news and dead dino carcasses?_ Owen put his phone down with a frustrated sigh.

 _"I saw you… with the velociraptors and with Blue."_

Those had been her first words to him, seeing him work with dinosaurs, bond with them. Ultimately, Owen guessed that he didn't want to taint Maisie's image of him. When had that concern started? Owen watched the mountains again. _Probably when you started hoping she'd call you 'dad'. Can't believe Claire got the first-_

"We're here." Sergeant Terry pulled Owen from his thoughts and he followed the army man out of the truck and into the hanger. One plane rested in the corner, another sat on the runway, roaring and ready for flight. Owen adjusted his duffel on his shoulder, watching as Sergeant Terry checked a manifest with the guy at the corner office. Owen eyed their plane; small, yet sleek. It looked expensive, compared to the one they'd ridden out to Isla Nublar.

"Army's giving out pretty sweet rides these days." Owen remarked as Terry came back. Terry glimpsed at the plane, shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. We're taking off in ten minutes. They're finishing a systems check."

That brought Owen to notice the two men outside the plane. Standing on either side of the steps leading up to the door. A weird feeling caught him in the stomach. He eyed Terry. "Casual Friday?"

"What?" Terry looked back at Owen, who jutted his chin at the men. "You said this' an army-issued flight. Where're their uniforms?"

Owen didn't know what made him ask; only that it seemed odd. But he didn't miss the change in Terry's countenance. The sergeant moved, but Owen moved a second faster. He caught Terry's hand from reaching his firearm and rammed the sergeant's chin with his shoulder. Owen's duffel dragged him down and he saw the men by the plane moving in. He snapped Terry's wrist back, getting the gun for himself. Terry gave a harsh jab, right into Owen's bandaged side. Owen grunted, kicking Terry back. He spun and dashed for the door, only five yards away. _Terry left the keys in the car. I'll get there and peel out!_

The guy from the office emerged. Owen blasted two shots, making him retreat. The hanger exploded with echoes of returning fire, hot ricochets hitting the doorframe. Suddenly there was a beefy-armed man blocking it. And his escape!

Owen skidded to a stop, gun trained on the guy's chest. "Don't make me shoot you."

The guy, with wild-cut hair to match wild gray eyes, only looked amused. Shouts came from behind, not in English, but in Russian. That checked into a memory in Owen's mind; a Russian had bought the Indoraptor at the auction! He fired, but the man shot forward and blasted Owen's solar plexus with a raw surge of power. Owen had to take a knee, gasping and clutching his side. A few seconds, and he felt blood seeping through the bandages and scabs.

"Hesitation costs you, American." The beefcake blockade chuckled. "But thanks for making it fun."

Owen collected himself, looking up. "Fun, huh?"

He propelled an uppercut to the man's cocky jaw, hearing teeth crack. He wanted to run- the door was three feet away! But there were five weapons on him now and he wouldn't get far with his side.

"Mr. Grady."

His name came from an older man in a suit and the only one sans gun. He carried wide features under slick and graying hair, a cane… and tons of pompous authority as he walked up. He extended a hand. "Let's try to keep this civil, shall we? Kassian Gavrill."

Owen didn't take his hand, wrapping his head around the situation. His eyes fell on Terry, who was working the pain out of his shoulder. "Were those orders even real?"

"They were my orders, Mr. Grady." The Gavrill character lowered his hand. "A window of opportunity has presented itself. I should like your help in taking full advantage of it."

Did corporate bad guys read dictionaries in their spare time? Owen didn't say anything, running possibilities through his mind.

"Unless you need to discuss it with your wife first." Gavrill spoke into Owen's silence. Owen's fingers curled in to feel the metal of his wedding band. "Whatever threat you're thinking, don't make it. Because I will kill you."

Gavrill backed up a step, palms out. "I don't wish to involve them anymore then you do. But there _is_ the matter of your cooperation."

 _He said 'them'._ Owen's stomach dropped, eyes back on Terry. Now these guys knew about Maisie… if nothing else, he _was_ going to squeeze the life out of the so-called soldier.

"Whatever you think I know, you're wrong." Owen regained his composure, even while his side protested. Gavrill gave a cold chuckle. "You underestimate your value, Mr. Grady. Shall we?"

Owen hardly had a choice as he was shoved toward the jet.


	7. New Sight

_"Six months old today!"_

Maisie smiled at Owen's over the top announcement to the camera as it jostled between his face and the hyped velociraptors. Who had no concept of a birthday, but could pick up on Owen's enthusiasm. Or they just realized that Owen had meat.

 _"Feel their excitement in the air." Owen threw out a few dried pieces on the other side of the room. Echo and Charlie dove for it, but Delta and Echo weren't so easily fooled. Owen eyed the camera. "Yet another example of the second group's discernment. We're testing its limits... and so far haven't found any."_

Maisie watched intently as Blue made a move for the bag hanging off Owen's shoulder. Owen angled himself between Blue and the bag, two clicks coming off his clicker. Blue and Delta paused at this. Echo and Charlie also raised their heads.

 _"This sound has been used since birth, establishing recognition of their alpha." Owen didn't dare glimpse at the camera, holding his stand off with Blue. "In the last week we've been introducing patterns. Patterns we're hoping they'll learn to respond and react to."_

Maisie waited, clutching the pen from the hotel lobby, her thumb just above the clicker. On the video, Owen clicked his three times, holding his hand high. The raptors' heads followed it. Echo and Charlie stepped closer, eyes wide in curiosity and caution. Then Owen commanded. "Stand down."

But Blue and Delta took steps forward instead. Owen kept his stance, letting off another three clicks. "Stand down."

Maisie echoed these clicks with her pen. But Delta and Blue only wanted the food, Delta even swiping at Owen's arm! But Owen kept them at bay- away from the food- repeating his clicks and commands. Finally, Blue's posture relaxed. She barked softly and Charlie, Delta, and Echo did the same. Even backing up a few steps. Owen smiled proudly. "There we go. Nice job!"

He began feeding each raptor as the video ended.

"Maisie, I think that's enough." Claire spoke up from the other bed of their hotel room. Where she was dressed, Maisie had remained in her pajamas, comfortable within a 'chair' of over-stuffed pillows. She moved Claire's laptop aside, rolling over on her stomach. "One more-"

"You've already watched seven." Claire shook her head, gesturing for the laptop. She had forgone it while she egged over her papers for her meeting. They were lists of points she wanted to bring up and any counterarguments she thought the senator guy might give her. Maisie didn't care, but Claire had this thing about working things out under her breath. It was giving Maisie a headache. She wanted Owen here to provide comic relief. She had a paper to write questions on, but had become too engrossed to put any down. That and she had fallen asleep during the third and fourth ones. Since when did dinosaurs made her sleepy?

"Honestly, enough." Claire collected her papers atop the laptop, moving both to the desk that sat diagonal from the beds. "I want to talk with Zia and Franklin before the others sign on; make sure we're all on the same page."

Maisie laid her head back on the pillows. "The papers you've changed twice?"

Claire looked up in mock shock. "Is that sass I detect?"

Maisie thought to laugh, but she didn't. She was tired. And her head… when had it gotten so heavy? Maybe just thinking too much. Her mind fell back on the last screen capture of Blue and her pack. Then to the apatosaurus she had watched with Owen. Maisie went between terror and fascination for these dinosaurs. They were the characters from Grandpa's stories, the toys she grew up with, and the legends her mind ran with before she went to sleep.

Claire was suddenly bedside the bed, staring oddly at her. "Maisie, you ok?"

"Tired." Maisie gave an indifferent shrug. "Really tired."

Yes her head hurt, but Claire needed to be ready and undistracted for her conference. Maisie started at Claire's hand covering her forehead. "You _are_ a little warm…"

"Mum," It slipped out again and Maisie sat up. "I mean, Claire!"

Claire stepped back, caught between concern and a smile. "Better make up your mind."

Maisie blushed, crossing her legs. "Well now I feel _really_ guilty for not saying anything to Owen."

"Don't worry about it." Claire eased off, going back to her laptop and notes. "And just rest. We can do some more sight-seeing after this meeting."

Maisie pushed her hair back, thinking about Owen standing, alone, as they'd driven away. Her thoughts had been pegging him as 'Dad', and Claire as 'Mum' more and more. She just hoped it wasn't wishful thinking. She was here because Claire and Owen had convinced Iris that it was safest. That was saying something with dinosaurs roaming California. Her mind returned again to the apatosaurus and she cleared her throat. "I… I still don't want them to die."

Claire paused, taking a long, gentle look at her. "A part of me doesn't want them to either." But she gave an encouraging smile. "And no, that's not a bad thing."

Maisie smiled back, spreading out on her pillows. She grew settled as Claire sat at the desk, prepping. Safe. Maisie hoped she didn't have to outgrow that excuse; even after the dinosaurs were gone.

 **}{}{}{}{**

"We don't have to be here, you know."

Carla eyed Jett, like he was crazy. He held up his hands to deflect her glare. "I'm just saying, lots of other business have closed down."

"The ones up north have." Carla specified, dinging the cash register drawer open. "Where the outbreak happened and where it's mostly been contained. We're in the clear and we're staying open."

Jett appreciated his wife's business enthusiasm; it'd kept their supermarket running for thirty years now. Even with most of their employees staying home, glued to their news channels. Jett had convinced Ursula to go home at noon, since they'd had no afternoon customers all week. Jett had pressed Carla each day to simply close the market down. She told him he was being silly to lose even one paying customer. And with no dinosaur attacks in their area to speak of, Jett's argument was growing weaker by the day; thank goodness. Even so, having the Coast Guard posted at every road between them and the state line didn't alleviate his anxiety. Sure, they had been a lifesaver in a few cases, but their food deliveries hadn't come this week, putting them in danger of being understocked.

"Only two hours before we close up-" Carla reasoned when the ding of the automatic doors drew their attention. The doors closed, but even with the obtrusion of a display, Jett didn't see anyone. Jett raised a brow. "Hello?"

The ding sounded again, the doors opened and shut... and again, no one walked through.

"Oh, no," Carla exasperated. "Is it broken?"

"Maybe some kids." Jett suggested, heading to check it out. He came to the front, stopped, turned in a full circle. Nothing. Odd. And that was the second time it'd happened today.

"Anything?" Carla called out. Jett prepared to answer, when the slight scurrying of feet caught his ear. So faint, he wasn't sure the sound had been real. "No. I guess not."

"Well, there's a definite answer." Carla sighed as Jett reappeared at the counter. He gave a little pout. "Let's just close early, Car. One afternoon won't kill the business."

The very idea fired her brown eyes with annoyance. But Jett choose to pull rank, kissed her cheek, and headed for the back. "We'll pack the meat in the freezer and call it a day."

"There you go getting bossy again." Carla teased, locking the register. She slung her arm into Jett's and they strolled to the meat aisle together. Their feet screeched at the sight of four-foot creatures clawing up the side of the refrigerated rows. The creatures pulled themselves up with thin arms and spindly legs. Tails whipped back and forth for balance as mouths opened, showing little teeth ready to rip into the raw steaks.

"Wh-" Jett began, before Carla screamed. The growls and snarls stopped abruptly and the dinosaurs' heads turned. Eyed them with large, glassy pupils. Jett clutched Carla's hand and backed up slowly. They sensed this retreat, heads cocking... then abandoning the steaks. Carla's eyes bulged. "J-Jett-"

"Stay. Calm." Jett took another step back, pulling her with him. The growling returned, following by a hissing as the little dinos jumped to the floor. Their claws clicked against the tile and Jett tried to keep distance as the clicking came closer. He turned Carla around- only to find three more cutting off the aisle. They were encircled!

Carla fell forward with another scream, one of the dinos dragging her down by her calf. Jett wasn't given the chance to help as one leaped on his shoulders. Claws and teeth broke the skin of his back. They were small, but the pain sank deep, tearing the tissue and muscle wide open. Jett's screams matched Carla's and he tried frantically to get it off. But then there was another on his arm, pulling it the opposite way.

 _How are they so strong?_ The bizarre thought hit Jett. _How can I end up dying from something so small?!_

"Jett!" Carla shrieked, kicking with her free leg. With bloody fingers, she clung to the edge of a metal shelf to keep the carnivores from dragging her away. Jett pushed himself up as another leaped out of nowhere, landing on her chest. She was flattened as its jaws clamped across her throat. Carla arched and screamed again, chilling Jett's blood.

The next shriek however, silenced everything. The little dinosaurs stopped their attacking, heads jerking toward it. Jett's eyes tore from Carla to the shadow that fell over them from up the aisle. A bigger dinosaur stood there, all claws and scales and hungry, glowing eyes. Jett's heart sank, even as the little dinosaurs retreated off of him and Carla. The big dinosaur crouched, growled, and extended its claws, ready for its next meal. Claws scrapping the tile, it surged forward. Jett managed to roll over, putting himself in front of Carla.

The tail whipped him on the head as the dinosaur passed them, snatching one of the tiny ones in its mouth. With one crunch, the neck snapped and it flung it aside, diving for the next one. Jett's breathing slowed for a shocked second. It was going to eat the other dinosaurs... instead of them?

A few of the little dinosaurs tried climbing on its back, but the big dinosaur was fast. It rammed against the shelves, knocking them- and the food- to the ground. Their cries mixed as they tried to establish dominance, clawing and biting at every turn. Jett pushed himself out, biting his lip to hold in the pain. "Ca-Carla."

He had himself at a sitting position and put his arms under her armpits. A tiny dinosaur hit the shelf just above their heads, knocking him back down with the avalanche of boxes. Claws burned across his cheek and he batted the creature off. Gaining leverage with his feet, he began pushing him and Carla backwards, farther and farther away from the increasing carnage. Carla kept her hands over her mouth so she didn't cry out with every movement of her leg.

"It's okay. I gotcha you." Jett whispered desperately to her, until they were almost to the front. He hoped it calmed them both, to get outside. They always parked at the front. He would take them to the hospital, then take them home. Where they should've stayed from the beginning.


	8. New Barings

Owen thought best on his feet. Such thinking had saved his life many times. Right now though, it wasn't an option. The jet was approaching ten thousand feet, making his isolation with the Russians all the more apparent; and disconcerting. It was a fancy plane, down to the patterned carpet. He'd reluctantly sat in the cushioned seat offered him. Kassian Gavrill was playing the perfect host, pouring drinks from an elegantly carved drink cart, while everyone else stood or sat around watching Owen coolly. He was in their wheelhouse and they all knew it. The freight train known as Kolov was particularly fond of gloating, sipping his liquor with a smile. Sergeant Terry was conveniently engaged with the scrawniest of the henchmen, pointing between some papers and a laptop. He wouldn't look at Owen.

 _You'll get yours._ Owen thought, resting his side in the chair. _I'll be there to make sure of it._

"Now that we're all settled." Gavrill offered Owen a drink of his own. Owen declined it with a stare. Gavrill shrugged and took it to his own seat. His suit somehow stayed wrinkle-free as he sat. He nodded at Owen's posture. "Forgive me if I pry, but were you injured, Mr. Grady?"

Owen set his jaw, wishing his blood would stain the chair, rather then already be crusted over. "Dino attack last week. Compsognathus. It _was_ healing nicely." He brushed a gesture at Kolov. "Your mad gorilla over there was nice enough to reopen it."

"He apologizes." Gavrill waved off Kolov's step forward. His gaze became intent on Owen. "Even with the park gone, you're up close and personal with them. A landmark experience, I'm sure. You appear to have a knack for being in the midst of those."

"John Mclane has the same luck." Owen put in stalely. Kolov rolled his eyes while Gavrill laughed. "John Mclane and John Wayne; the true American cowboys."

What Owen wouldn't give for a six-shooter.

"Course, even with all the attention," the glasses man- Aldovich- spoke up. "You are a difficult man to reach. An audience with your wife was the closest I could get."

That curdled Owen's blood as he nodded. "Most people would take the hint."

Gavrill gave a helpless shrug. "Unfortunately, not an option I could entertain. When I am intent on something Mr. Grady, I achieve it."

"By whatever illegal means necessary." Owen shifted his gaze to Sgt. Terry. The man didn't establish eye contact back, sticking to the fascinating information on the laptop. "We're not headed into the desert, I take it."

"Palo Alto." Gavrill admitted outright. "To put it simply, we're looking to finish what business we started before the outbreak."

Owen went on to evaluate the others, with their elevated chins and postured muscles. "Which one of you was at the auction?"

Their faces stayed stoic while Gavrill chuckled. With his tumbler, he gestured to the leanest of the group. "An event I couldn't attend myself."

"We bid on the Indoraptor." The lean Russian elaborated. "But we have yet to collect."

Owen thought back on his fight across the room, the Indoraptor's eyes taking him in as he'd locked the cage back on the show floor. There'd been intelligence there; intelligence and bloodlust. He blinked out of it, caring to focus on only one perilous situation. "Might want to send Eli Mills a comment card."

"Is this whole trip going to be burdened with your sarcasm." Aldovich huffed.

"If I needed anything from Mr. Mills, he would be the one seated across from me." Gavrill pointed out, the levity falling from his gaze. "I.B.R.I.S., Mr. Grady. What can you tell me about it?"

The plane jerked in its course over California. Owen's jaw locked, unable to stop his brow from furrowing. _How_ would he know about that? InGen's program in behavioral analysis had gotten publicity now and then, but its name and purpose that never been revealed for security reasons.

 _They're in a reverse position._ Owen worked out, the edge of the high altitude popping in his ears. _They have the name, but no information. So they sought me out._

"It was a failure." Owen stated.

"There was evidence that raptors could respond to commands." Gavrill pointed his finger at Owen. "Your raptors."

Owen's first thought was on the video logs- the ones that Maisie had. They didn't know that, right? " _My_ raptors switched sides the minute a bigger alpha came along. And ate a few of the soldiers they were supposed to be fighting with."

"But," Gavrill wagged a finger, like it connected him and Owen somehow. "There was an established dominance that they responded to. Respected even."

"Shouldn't apply controlled terms to something that's uncontrollable." Owen leaned forward, ignoring the strain to his side. "I kept them at bay, that's all."

Charlie's feisty bite and Delta's sharp huntress eyes from the videos filled his brain. Pushing past those qualities and gaining the trust behind it- no matter how small- had taken years. He couldn't act like that bond with Blue and the others didn't affect him; even while believing Blue and the other dinosaurs had to die. He went from hoping, to dreading the chance to see Blue one more time… Before, when it had been a volcano, it had been easy to accept. Now, it was going to have to be deliberate… and personal. Her level of intelligence couldn't allow for anything else. Blue wasn't interested in being caged and there was no telling how much damage she might inflict. There certainly wasn't bloodlust… Cognitive bonding, empathy _…_ she'd defended him at the Lockwood house…

"Guess Hoskins exaggerated about you in his reports then." Kolov broke in. He had yet to lose his smugness. Owen looked back to Terry. "Hoskins was on your payroll too?"

"InGen's security records were some of the easier documents to hack." The only other henchman talked through a lopsided grin. "Oh the irony."

Owen had to give them that, maintaining the edge in his voice. He looked out his window, letting the gears of his mind work through this. "You know so much, why am I here?"

Gavrill considered his glass a moment, watching the clouds pass outside and over the wings of the jet. "America is in a vulnerable place, Mr. Grady. Some are eager to keep it that way."

Wow, that cleared up nothing.

"This is simply an exchange of information." Gavrill went on. "You were stationed in Palo Alto before working on the island, correct?"

"An orientation." Owen agreed; it would have been in his file, which he knew they had. "Three weeks. You looking to sign up? They take rolling admissions-"

He spotted Kolov coming for him. Owen sprung up, catching the man's fist while sending his own into Kolov's ribs. Kolov gasped, but that didn't stop him kneeing Owen's side.

"Kolov!"

Owen sucked in a breath, shoving the hothead back. The plane wavered, but he kept his stance, daring the guy to come at him again. Aldovich was up, gun trained on him and Gavrill sighing through his fat cheeks. Like this was a common occurance.

"Put up as many brick walls as you want." Kolov heaved out the threat, eagerly cracking his knuckles. "I'll enjoy smashing you through every one."

 _Whenever you're ready._ Owen thought, jaw set against the throb in his side. Aldovich threw some harsh Russian at Kolov, who muttered back under his breathed and walked to the cart. Gavrill waved his hand and the gun was put away. Only then did Owen sit back down. Gavrill heaved a sigh, as though at toddlers. He then indicated to Terry's papers with his round chin. "We are looking to retrieve the Indoraptor. Mr. Grady, and recent movements place it in the labs beneath InGen headquarters." He raised his eyebrows over his final swig. "You remember this building, yes?"

Owen didn't bother looking at the maps; one a schematic of the InGen building, the other of the city blocks surrounding it. "They've likely moved a few things around. But my time there was over six years ago. Any access I had to that building is long expired."

Gavrill heard him out, never losing his confident grin. He nodded now to the one working at the laptop. "Jasha is always stating how the 21st century is a marvel of technology. Apparently, once a security code is activated within a company's system, it is never truly deleted. Only stored in the memory of the main CPU."

Jasha nodded, keeping his face within the glow of his screen. "It's all a matter of cloaking the security system with the old one, fooling the system into believing its the new one. Allowing your code to work again."

"So you grab what's left of the Indoraptor and see what you can learn from it." Owen beat Gavrill to the talking. "What comes after that? You think you'll make a copy, I hand you a leash, teach you a few hand signals, and you'll have complete control." He sent a demeaning look Kolov's way. "May work with Boris over there, but it won't with a dinosaur."

Gavrill smiled his amusement. "Fair thoughts, Mr. Grady. The Indoraptor was killed before we could collect." His tumbler set aside, Gavrill leaned forward, fingers steepled. "Though we would've killed it ourselves."

Owen stared at him, confused. Gavrill went on. "I went over a few of your reports, personally. And it seems the imprint is the key to establishing any kind of connection with a dinosaur. Course, what use is that knowledge to me with a fully grown and modified model, I ask."

Owen swallowed. "You're going after the eggs."

"It clicks." Gavrill gave a single clap. "When we land outside Palo Alto, you will be good enough to help my men acquire them."

"As well as the carcuss of the Indoraptor." Kolov just had to add, his hand still holding where Owen had punched him.

"And why would I do all this?" Owen stated. "Why would I need to? You have the reports, you could've asked me for the codes… why waste resources getting me here?"

"I will let you figure that one out." Gavrill leaned back in his chair.

Owen hated it when a bad guy acted smart.

 **}{}{}{}{**

The wind was cold, pushing up under their wings as the pteranodons soared over the next hill. Following the course of their glide, they surveyed the rough terrain below, eyes alert for meat. The forest branched into a clearing alongside the highway, which the pteranodons dipped over, circled back, and dipped over again. The leader spotted movement and swooped down with a powerful screech. The animal broke into a run, sensing the danger. The pteranodon extended its talons and sunk them into its back. Its mouth came around the neck, wrestling it sideways as it kicked and protested its death.

The other pteranodons landed, grabbing at the withering limbs with their teeth. They bashed each other aside for the best bite, until the legs and the torso were ripped apart. She tipped her head back and swallowed the warm meat before the others could steal the rest. She roared, further staking her claim. Wings flapping to push the others back, she picked up her portion and flew it several feet away. The others didn't follow and she continued her meal with elation. This new land was teeming with new things to eat, new taste to test. And this kill had been hers; so was the biggest piece! The others continued to squabble over the remains. She swallowed, savoring the juices of the raw meat.

 _Shshshshsh._

Her head erected at the faint sound of rustling. The sunlight was as still as the rest of the wood. She looked back, saw her companions grabbling over a front leg. The rustling turned her head again. The pteranodon's spine stiffened. She picked up the remaining meat in her beak with the first flap of her wings. She had worked hard for this meal; no one was taking it! Her feet left the ground, eyes on the free sky above.

A force crushed her from behind, knocking the dead animal from her mouth. The pteranodon squeaked and pleaded as she felt claws and teeth rip through her spine and into her ribs. Her last sight was of the other pteranodons descending on the liberated meat.


	9. New Options

"Look ok?" Claire paraded herself from the bathroom to show off for Maisie. The hair dryer in their hotel couldn't blow out a candle, so her hair had to air dry before anything real could be done with it. Air drying gave her frizzies… hopefully they'd suffer from a poor connection.

"You look lovely." Maisie turned in the chair from Claire's laptop. Was she watching more videos? Claire had propped it up on the desk, strategically between her notes and a clean legal pad for any issues that came up during the meeting. But no, Maisie was sharing some face time with Zia, who waved as Claire came into view. "Look at you, boss."

Claire smoothed her gray turtleneck down the front, checking the black belt again that held her skirt in place. Ok, the belt was more decoration then anything, but it had been too sleek and commanding _not_ to get! Claire revealed in the ease that office clothes gave her. "I'm lucky I managed to find a skirt that covers my bandage-"

'Yea, yea, enough of the trivals," Zia waved that off, leaning in with an eager grin. "Show me the rock."

Claire rolled her eyes, but held her left hand up to the camera. "And it's _not a_ rock, thankfully. I don't want people gawking over me like some trophy wife."

"Just the wife of a super-muscular dinosaur whisperer," Zia shrugged back from the screen. "No trophies in sight."

Maisie laughed then. "She has a point."

Claire tried to stop the hot flush in her cheeks. "And you think that's the only reason I married Owen? Because he's-"

"Hot?" Zia snorted. Claire glared at her pixelated image. "You are officially a bad influence."

"So I'll assume you got married because you like to yell at each other." Maisie decided, lulling her head in her hand.

" _Why_ are you still in your pajamas?" Claire switched the subject, gesturing to Maisie's messed hair and wrinkled cotton. "We're going to lunch when this is over."

"You could be talking for hours." Maisie sighed. "And I'm going to lay on the bed anyway-"

"Hey, put pride into yourself in private, people will notice in public." Claire held her chin high, establishing her authority. "Besides, I'm sure you'll feel better once you get dressed."

Maisie shared an eye roll with Zia. "If you say so."

She got up, leaving Claire the chair, and dragged her bag into the bathroom. Her usual spring wasn't there, or her snarkiness. Did that mean she was annoyed with Claire? According to Karen, that meant you were doing something right as a parent.

 _I'll have to research it later._ Claire added to her mental to-do list. Her reading list was already bookmarked with several parenting advice websites. Owen had brushed them off with sarcastic comments, but Claire had caught him skimming through one night.

"Laying down the law like always." Zia smiled knowingly at Claire as she sat. "How does it feel?"

"Surreal." Claire admitted. "How's the office looking?"

"Well, believe it or not, some of us don't live in an office building, Claire. There are these things called homes-"

Claire eyed the ceiling, breathing out her patience. "Zia."

"Alright, shutting down." Zia's face turned serious and straightened up. "I know it's been killing you, not being here. The desks were arranged to your liking and Franklin got our systems all updated before the army came and took him."

"What'd you mean they _took_ Franklin?" Claire sidetracked, her peripheral catching Maisie coming out of the bathroom. Maisie pointed out her aqua-green jacket and jeans dramatically. Claire mouthed a thank you. Maisie eyed herself in the full-length mirror, and then dropped herself on the bed.

"The internet crashed last week, remember?" Zia recapped. "So, Franklin calls me all panicked, saying he's got orders to go upstate. Head a team of techno geeks or something."

 _Upstate?_ Claire's thoughts wondered to Owen. He couldn't give any details from the base, but wouldn't he have mentioned if Franklin was there? Then again, maybe he wasn't.

"…so he calls me for advise on what to do." Zia shook her head. "Guy outruns a volcano, stops a velociraptor from bleeding to death, and he's still as whiny as ever."

"Speaking of raptors," Claire glimpsed at Maisie on the bed. "Anything on Blue?"

"Not that he could find." Zia hesitated. Her eyes withdrew a little, probably back to the cramped and sweaty truck bed of the Arcadia. "It's like she just vanished."

Claire put a hand under her chin, eyes running over her notes yet again. The senator had highlighted Blue as a major talking point for their meeting. Claire put it aside, eyes back on Zia. "This conference starts in ten minutes. We will be speaking with three prominent funders of our organization, and we _will_ be on our best behavior the entire time." She worked down the essentials with her fingers. "We will smile, nod, and stick to the list of talking points, which will be free of sarcasm and irony. Right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Zia saluted; as good a response as she was going to get. Claire abandoned the laptop long enough to dry her hair, styling it for that forward-thinking professional look. She was stuck with the frizzies, so she hoped they wouldn't be too noticeable.

 _Sometimes I wonder why I ever grew it out._ Claire finally stepped back into the bedroom. She stopped, noting Maisie still on the bed. Eyes closed and cheeks still rosy; as if she'd just come in with Owen after working away on the cabin. Only the color didn't comfort Claire. She leaned over, touching the girl's shoulder. "Maisie?"

She stirred and looked up at Claire. "Just resting my eyes."

"You _are_ getting sick!" Claire realized, hand on her warm forehead. _What do I do? I don't have any medicine! She's been acting tired lately, but seemed fine a minute ago-_

"I'm fine." Maisie insisted, pushing herself up. Claire eyed the laptop, configuring the ninety seconds she had before the meeting. She could call the front desk and ask them for some children's Tylenol!

"Claire," Zia called out as Claire picked up their room phone. Claire waved at her. "Hold on."

"Claire, I said I'm fine." Maisie whined, dangling her legs over the edge of the bed. She grabbed Claire's hand in hers. "Don't miss your meeting. It's too important to you."

The desk wasn't answering. Claire hung up, watching Maisie. She was putting on a brave face, complete with an encouraging smile. She was a good kid; she'd tell Claire if she felt anything worse then a head cold. Besides, kids got colds all the time.

"Lay down," Claire smoothed Maisie's hair back. "Rest. I'll wrap this up and we'll get you… cold-fighting stuff."

"Tylenol?" Maisie suggested.

"You're in charge of making a list." Claire tasked her, noting to call Karen later for further instructions. She slid back into the chair, a little disgusted with herself. _I need instruction on how to handle a cold? Get it together, girl!_

Claire smoothed her shirt a final time as her screen indicated a call. Seconds later, she and Zia were connected to Senator Sherwood, Dr. Patrice Inger, and Councilman Webster. Claire had only met Dr. Inger over the phone, as a monthly contributor to the DPG. Councilman Webster on the other hand, was a frequent face at the DPG's promotional events. He embodied adult morals behind a baby-like face of blue eyes and brown hair. Regardless, the senator made introductions all around, giving Claire a moment to eye Maisie turning over on her bed.

"Will Mr. Grady be joining us?" Senator Sherwood inquired with everyone settled. "He'll be very interested in what we have to discuss."

Claire smiled politely. "My husband is caught up in some of the recent rescue efforts."

"Ah," the senator nodded. "I had hoped to finally meet him, so to speak. This involves him as much as you, Miss- _Mrs._ Grady." He gestured to Zia's corner frame. "Your colleagues as well."

Zia gave a flattered wave. "So I've been hearing. Care to clue us in?"

Claire narrowed her gaze on Zia.

"In truth, this idea was Dr. Inger's." Senator Sherwood stated. Dr. Inger took that was her cue, brushing imaginary wisps of her blonde hair back. "Mrs. Grady, I've contributed to the DPG since its birth and its stance is one that I greatly support. In light of my work with InGen..." Dr. Inger nodded herself on. "My faction's contributions have saved us face since the park closed. I wanted to bring some clarity to it however; I feel you're owed that."

Everyone's stares focused on her next words. She was a woman of thirty- younger then Claire had expected- with hair pulled back and a sophisticated face that tettered on worry and hope. She commanded attention like the rest of them, though appeared flustered now that the spotlight was actually on her. "I've worked for InGen's outsourcing for eleven years. My team ensured that there are no contaminated samples coming or going from the company. We understand more then most about InGen's influence- financial and otherwise- across the globe."

Claire nodded through her sentences, getting a feel for the direction she was heading. Her eyes met Zia's, who remained clueless. At least she was sitting up straight.

"…its future will affect as much." Dr. Inger concluded. "And I'm not the only one eager to preserve it; for the sake of jobs and science."

Claire admired her advocacy for her own employees. It had been one of the qualities that convinced her to accept their funding. And an endorsement from Senator Sherwood hadn't hurt. Claire encouraged the point. "How would you hope to do that, Dr. Inger? And how can the protection group help?"

"Specifically your work _with_ the DPG." Councilman Webster revised.

"Claire," Senator Sherwood took the lead. "We're thinking about a merger of the two; your foundation with the InGen corporation."

"A merger." Zia spoke her and Claire's surprise. "Like, turn InGen into a non-profit?"

Councilman Webster's brow furrowed. "Not quite."

"Sure not." Zia sat back. "Perish the thought of not making a buck."

Claire snuck a glare at her as Senator Sherwood smoothed things over. "I'll repeat what was said at the summit. We cannot ignore the impact these creatures have had on history and bioengineering. InGen is a part of that, and for the company to have any future, we need people at the helm who can oversee it with a logical and moral compass."

His eyes were on Claire as she blinked. "Are you offering _us_ jobs?"

"Any official titles are still in the making. But when this business in California is done, we want to have a plan in place that moves everything forward. InGen's research and the DPG's humanitarian efforts."

His mounting enthusiasm mirrored Claire's. Was this the chance she'd been hoping for? She had been trying to get the DPG on the frontlines for so long, finally using it to make peace with everything that had happened- and followed- her from the island. But with the anticipation also came concern.

"You've mentioned moving forward, senator," Claire addressed him as well as Dr. Inger and the councilman. "But in what direction? One that continues to manufacture the dinosaur DNA? Expands on the idea, if not types of hybrids?"

Dr. Inger 's slight laugh interjected. "Mrs. Grady, you witnessed the auction! We're not the only country that possesses dinosaurs anymore. Indonesia, Russia, Kenya…"

Zia looked more worried with each one she named. Dr. Inger continued to stare at Claire. "How long before any one of them creates their own blueprint? Regardless of their intentions, the potential damage has reached a global scale. We need this in our back pocket, like it or not."

Claire knew what she was saying. They were all fooling themselves if they thought this was going to end in California. _You can't put it back in the box,_ Eli Mills had said.

"We've spoken to several members of InGen's board already," Councilman Webster was explaining, hands folded before him. "Their investors too. They all agree with Dr. Inger."

"And you trust their motives?" Zia posted, matching his posture. "They're losing money on this thing with each hour that goes by. And InGen will have its second round of lawsuits before their stockholders can climb up from their plummet."

 _What?_ Claire blinked. _It's almost like she read through my notes._

"We trust Claire's motivations." Senator Sherwood stated. "The rise of the DPG has not gone unnoticed, Miss Rodríguez. We couple that initiative- and yes, public image- with InGen's resources, we help our country put its best foot forward to face this crisis and its aftermath." His face changed. "You, your employees _and_ your husband would all be brought on board."

"Why Owen?" Claire narrowed her focus, scribbling Owen's name on her pad with a question mark beside it. Senator Sherwood's next pause was lengthy. "Project I.B.R.I.S."

Zia cocked her head, befuddled. "What's that?"

Claire overcame her own surprise with the mention of the name. "I.B.R.I.S… Integrated Behavorial Raptor Intelligence Study. It was a program run through InGen's security division."

"Correct." Dr. Inger jumped in before the senator. "A program well documented in measuring the intel of velociraptors. Mr. Grady, among others, were hired to discover the extent of their intelligence and ways it could be manipulated." She held up a hand to any objections. "Now many may consider the incident at _Jurassic World_ a failure, but the bottom line is they _were_ responding. And if they did once, they can again."

Claire drifted her stare to the senator; he was agreeing with this. She'd only been on the sidelines of I.B.R.I.S. and Owen had never gone into detail. Maybe he had never fully believed in its objective. He certainly wouldn't now.

"And you think the end result wouldn't be the same?" Claire asked. "If not worse."

"Dr. Wu oversaw the DNA compilation of the raptors." Zia mentioned, pushing her glasses up. "And we don't have his 'expertise' this time around."

"Everything InGen ever undertook is achieved at their headquarters in Palo Alto." Senator Sherwood nodded to Dr. Inger's image. "And Dr. Inger assures me it will be enough to recreate-"

"This isn't a question of recreating, senator." Claire stopped him, her pen tracing Owen's name; it soothed her. "We're questioning what we can do to control things after the outbreak has been dealt with. We would not be establishing control if we were to reinstate I.B.R.I.S."

"What she said." Zia voted, fist bumping the air. Senator Sherwood was already shaking his head. "We're not so sure."

Claire drew a tight breath. Motivations never changed, even when you thought present circumstances would be enough to wake people up. Claire looked over at where Maisie lay; her words held ten times more impact just thinking about what world she wanted Maisie to grow up in. One without the wonder of dinosaurs or one without the fear of them?

"Questions like that make you ideal for heading this company, Claire." Senator Sherwood was wheeling and dealing now. "A company running programs _like_ I.B.R.I.S. at your discretaion. You can ensure that it doesn't go too far… Claire?"

Claire heard him, but her eyes were still on Maisie.

"My apologies," Claire picked up her phone and out it to her ear. "It's my husband."

She moved away before anyone could object. Claire reached the bed, voice lowered. "Maisie?"

She didn't get an answer, just a visual of a flushed and shivering girl! Claire touched Maisie's forehead; it was burning! Claire leaned in. "Maisie? Maze!?"

Maisie's head turned slightly, but her eyes weren't focused as they opened. Claire's heart slammed into panic mode. She clutched the phone and approached the conference again. "I-I'm sorry. We'll have to reschedule!"

The senator's eyebrows popped up. "Claire…"

Claire canceled his link, along with Inger and Webster's. It was just her and Zia when she dropped the phone and tried to breath. "Something's wrong with Maisie."

Zia took the longest second to process that. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." Claire was horrified to admit. She started for the bed, then backed up. She brushed her hands through her hair. "She's shivering… but she's hot."

"Call 911." Zia said.

"No, you come and check her." Claire insisted. She couldn't take Maisie to a hospital!

"I'm three hours away!"

Claire was frozen. Her brain was firing the right responses, but her body wasn't reacting.

"CLAIRE!" Zia commanded, smacking her desktop. "Call 911! I'll be there as soon as-"

Claire didn't hear her as she snatched her phone up and dialed.


	10. New Break

Owen started at his phone's vibration. Kolov made a show of taking note of the caller, then smirked. "Your wife. Booty call?"

Owen reached across and grabbed Kolov's wrist. He held on, saying all that was needed with his grip. He'd been keeping his cool, but this guy was pushing him.

Aldovich cleared his throat through the comms. "Ignore him. He should've been drowned at birth; we're paying for that oversight now."

Kolov swore in Russian as he yanked his hand out of Owen's. The phone buzzed again; still Claire. It had to be about the video conference. Owen fell back, adjusting the earwig that'd been forced on him at the airstrip. Aldovich had stayed behind with Gavrill, while the rest went ahead to ingenue. But he planned to be tuned in every step of the way.

"Alright," Jasha announced from his seat, finally closing the laptop. "We're entering from the north doors. Once Grady gets us through, hold back fifteen seconds while I disarm the rest of the building's security system…"

 _Wasn't aware he could string this many sentences together._ Owen distracted the foreboding in his stomach. There had been no chances for him to escape and the closer they got to InGen, the more trapped he felt. He was crammed in an armored vehicle, seated next to Terry, with ammo and other felony tools stuffed in the back. He had been giving the InGen blueprints momentary glimpses as Terry looked them over. "Who'd you exploit for these? Or did you go the with bribery?"

Terry didn't respond to that, tapping the north entrance with his finger. "No high-end renovations have been done since 2010. We'll go down to sub level one. In and out in thirteen minutes."

The truck braked and Terry got out, expressionless. "You may not like it, but it is what it is, Grady. Do your job and soon it'll be a bad memory."

"You lull yourself to sleep with that mantra." Owen drilled a stare into the man's back. He looked up at the building; since there wasn't much else to look at. There was silence… eerie and desolate over the barren streets. It resembled the wake of every post-apocalyptic movie scene ever made, scattered leaves and recalled the miles of cars they'd lumbered behind to get to the border. Still, he hadn't thought it possible to make California look abandoned.

A wind blew... was that a prehistoric moan that blew with it? That anticipation of finding a dinosaur around any corner was held taught in the air. Which made the guards at the InGen doors seem entirely pointless. Owen's throat became dry as Kolov and the others struck straight postures. They were wearing army drabs- him included. With helmets, vests, and guns. His however, wasn't loaded.

"At ease." Terry took the lead, saluting the soldiers in their approach. "Shift change. You'll be reporting back to the South Tahoe base; expected arrival 2100 hours."

"Sir." The soldiers nodded, leaving their posts to be replaced by Jasha and Kolov. Owen tightened his hand around the strap of his useless gun as they passed. They radioed their instructions to soldiers posted on the south and east entrances. None of them seemed suspect, but Owen's breath stayed in his throat until they had driven away.

"You shy of killing, American." Kolov had to remark. Owen sized him up with a sturdy stare. "Just innocent people. Lucky for me, you don't make that list."

Kolov snorted, mimicking Owen's tone. "Such confidence."

"Nice to know you've got a beef with me, on top of wanting to frame me." Owen bombshelled, enjoying the shock coming over Kolov's face. "Oh, was I not supposed to know that? I mean, it's the only logical reason you'd risk dragging me here..."

Aldovich gave a chuckle. "I see why a dinosaur would follow you, Mr. Grady. Instinct breeds instinct."

The false flattery from him and his boss was getting on Owen's nerves. Jasha continued hooking his laptop to the keypad, Terry keeping watch. Kolov took a step closer, gloating the inches he had on Owen. "You know the best thing about confidence, Grady? Watching it die as you beat a man down."

"Kolov, shut up." Aldovich ordered, the edge growing on _his_ tone.

"Grady." Jasha broke into their standoff, pointing to the number pad. Owen clenched his teeth and moved past Kolov to punch in his code. The computer calculated them, then flashed green as the door bars snapped back.

"We're in." Terry reported to Aldovich.

"Locate the eggs first." Aldovich reminded them. "They will be easier to transport, should we run out of time."

"We won't."

Jasha pointed to the left and Owen followed his lead; flanked by Kolov. Owen spotted the cameras on every corner, moving irregularly. Almost like their lens were following him. His grip went sweaty on the handle of the traveling case Terry had handed him. One of two to lug the embryos away. If they _were_ there... all Owen knew was that he needed to be watching for an opportunity. Get back to Claire and Maisie and start having regular troubles. Reaching the elevator. Jasha repeated his hook up, with Owen surrendering his code. It granted them access and he was shoved in, Kolov's gun to his neck. Uneventfully, they rode down, til the doors opened on a wide and dark hall. It stretched out in both directions, multiple doors labeled. It all centered on a neatly kept lab, quiet behind a wall of glass. Low lights turned on in the hall with Terry's first step on the tile.

"Comms with Aldovich are down." Jasha reported before going to work on the lab door. "The depth's messing with the signal."

"That blow heart will live." Kolov sneered. Owen might have asked him why he hated Aldovich so much, but he didn't care. Plus, it just seemed like the guy got off on being ticked at everybody. A sound from down the hall distracted him. The metal door on the left- a wide, steel frame- had a window and he moved over to take a look. There was a loud snort and the head of a hadrosaurid rose into view. It wasn't full-grown yet, brown jagged stripes along its green and yellow side. The horn jutting from the back of its skull bent down and pushed at the wall, satisfying an itch.

"They captured one?" Kolov asked, pushing Owen aside so he could see. Owen shook his head. "Too young. Looks like InGen was raising it." He sighed. "Research never rests."

"Alright." Jasha announced as the lab door opened. Kolov went back to shoving Owen and the four men entered. The lab lingered under familiar blue lighting and machines hummed along both walls. The long side was completely glass, giving the duckbill a full view of the lab from its cage. Owen rested a hand on the counter, watching Terry unlock the carrying cases. "So how do we play this? Hot and cold? Marco Polo?"

"They're being kept in sub-zero containment." Terry ignored his sarcasm, pointing to a floor-to-ceiling cylinder. "There's twenty-two DNA samples and they'll last 16 hours in our containers."

"Then the Indoraptor." Kolov moved along the counter as Terry and Jasha opened their two carrying cases. Owen rather caught the far end of the lab, held in complete blackness. He hesitated, then walked the aisle between the counters. He was stopped by yet another wall of glass; cold, nearly frigid. He spotted three buttons below the rim and hit the one with the lightbulb.

His heart pounded with shock as he jumped back. Within the glass, the frozen, lax smile of the Indoraptor illuminated before Owen. The dead hybrid laid on its side with the airtight unit, enough space for a few men to walk in and around it. Probably what the hazmat suits were for.

Kolov let out a long whistle at the Indoraptor. "We finally collect on what we pay for."

Owen didn't move. It was stupid, but a part of him expected the Indoraptor to leap up at any second. "You _really_ want to being another one of these to life."

Kolov clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It's part of the sport, American. The best weapons do not guarantee a win. But they don't hurt your chances."

Owen whacked Kolov's hand off. The last thing he was discussing with this meathead was the wisdom of war. He'd seen Kolov's eagerness in other guys before... a _want_ for conflict and its violence...

"They're not here."

Owen and Kolov looked back at Terry's tense expression. Fog laced out of the unsealed cylinder and he reached in. All he came out with was an empty vial holder. Kolov rushed up and crowded in for a second look. Owen lingered behind them, eyes no the door. He needed to squeeze past, but it was a straight shot-

"Where are they?" Kolov jerked Terry out of his bewilderment. He spun, sweeping his eyes over the lab; and cutting off Owen's escape route.

"They have to be here." Terry murmured, pacing to the counter, then back to the cylinder. "She said they were."

 _She?_ Owen's ears perked up. Terry leaned on the counter, pinching his nose to think. "We're on a time limit. We'll load up the Indoraptor."

"Mr. Gavrill wants the embryos." Jasha told him; and he wasn't suggesting it.

"He'll get them." Terry slammed their cases closed. Owen caught movement behind him, in the hall. His pulse quickened. "Or what? Double his money back?"

His chin stung with the pistol whip Kolov delivered, knocking him back against the counter. Kolov grabbed his collar, the gun set between Owen's eyes. Owen held back his pained expression, staring into the guy's souls irises. "I grow tired of your back talk."

"Kolov!" Jasha warned. Kolov only clicked his safety off. "Should've done this on the plane-"

"WHAT are you people doing here?"

All heads- and gun barrels- whipped toward the door. Owen straightened and saw someone he hadn't expected to see for another three years: Henry Wu!

Before it was a full thought, Owen struck Kolov's throat and threw him back. He caught the wrist with the readied gun, but Kolov's reaction was immediate, jabbing Owen in the ribs. Owen gripped the gun harder with the pain, pointed it down, and blasted the man's knee. Kolov howled.

"Don't move, Doctor." Terry ordered, angry at this sudden turn. Owen hurled Kolov's weight into Jasha, dodged around the square counter, and in three steps, had Dr. Wu as a shield, Kolov's gun steady against his temple. Terry stilled as Jasha pulled Kolov up, Russian obscenities spewing from them both. Owen locked his arm around Dr. Wu, breathing hard over the man's shoulder. "I shoot him, good luck finding any embryos."

Everyone took stock of their new position, Owen backing up with the doctor; who resisted. "A-Are you insane? What is happening here?"

"Think about what you're risking here, Grady." Terry edged forward, sighting them with his weapon. Owen narrowed his eyes on him. "Traitors know all about risks, don't they."

"Waste him!" Kolov roared, half-staggering with his knee.

"You are contaminating this location!" Dr. Wu cried, craning his neck over Owen's arm. "One bullet hits _any_ of this equipment-"

 _Is he serious?_ Owen dragged him along, almost out the door. That was when he spied the padlock, along the edge of the duckbill's cage. A bio-metric scanner, just like on the island. He looked at the dinosaur as it breathed a yawn, watching the drama unfold in front of it. Eyes back on the padlock, Owen nudged the gun deeper into Dr. Wu's skin. "Open it."

They all froze. Dr. Wu's breath hitched. "You can't be-"

Owen grabbed the doctor's hand and slapped it on the pad. It beeped, turned green, and hissed as the doors began to slide back. The dinosaur's eyes went wide at the sudden activity. Owen yanked Dr. Wu into the hall, firing a round into its cage. The duckbill relented, bulging out the doors to escape the noise. Jasha swore and fired his own weapon at the beast. He didn't miss and the duckbill moaned, swinging its body into the lab. Glass shattered and a cabinet tipped over as it swung its tail, pushing the Russian and Terry back. Owen kept his grip on Dr. Wu, getting to the elevator. He dug his earwig out and crushed it under his heel. "Anyone else here?"

"No!" Dr. Wu wrestled to get away. "And you shouldn't be here either!"

"You got a car?" Owen demanded, checking back at the lab. The duckbill was trying to make sense of the space and the men were just trying to keep from... Owen flinched as the duckbill rammed Jasha through the window. The elevator opened and he shoved Dr. Wu inside. They both shook glass off, Dr. Wu gapping at Jasha's broken body. A gun retorted at them and Owen returned it as the doors closed.

Owen took the moment to breathe and check his mag. Dr. Wu just continued to gape. Then choked. "Do you have ANY idea how much research you just destroyed!"

Owen pushed him against the wall, forearm tight on his windpipe. "I've got more then enough reason to beat you up. Those guys? They'll kill you. Pick which side you're on Doc."

Dr. Wu considered this, clearly unhappy with either. "My car... in the parking garage. You can add grand theft auto to the number of crimes you've already committed."

"Maybe we can share a cell." Owen slapped his self-righteous cheek, hitting the button for the parking garage.

"That lab is beyond repair!" Dr. Wu babbled, hands waving above his head. "And the Indoraptor! A marvel of science-"

"It was a prototype." Owen reminded him; unsympathetically. Dr. Wu stared at him, his face between perplexed and angry. The elevator dinged, opening up on the InGen parking garage. Owen scouted the opening, but other then company vans and a silver BMW, there was nothing in sight. He gestured to Dr. Wu. "I'm driving."

Dr. Wu glared, keys coming out of his pocket. "It's not like you're giving me a choice."

In spite of his grumbling, he and Owen were in the car and peeling out when the first shot slammed the back window. Owen eyed the rearview mirror to find Terry aiming for another.

"The guardrail!" Dr. Wu warned, seat belt clicking into place. "The guard-"

The hood dented as it reamed the rail back, letting the BMW through. It roared them up to ground level, the afternoon sun blinding Owen as he hung a right. He gunned for the intersection, mind spinning off one problem and into another. He was short a phone and there were three hours of driving between him and Carson City. It'd take them ten minutes at least to clear Palo Alto... The black truck fishtailing into the lane behind them indicated that wasn't enough time.

Dr. Wu also spotted the truck, ducking with the sound of continued gunfire. He eyed Owen, face ashen. "We won't outrun them in this."

"There's still a block between us." Owen stated. He'd point out anything to boost morale! He needed to put distance and... Owen erected in his seat, looking back at the street they'd just passed. Hope hit his chest and he slammed on the brakes. Dr. Wu gasped against the merciless jerk of his seat belt. "What're you doing, Mr. Grady?!"

"Giving science a field test." Owen reversed the car, hitting the curb as he turned onto the street. Right into the path of a romping ankylosaurs! It was happily munching on a square of grass surrounding a lamp post. Owen rolled the window down and fired his gun outside. "HEY!"

The ankylosaurs stirred, but kept at its dinner. He needed to get it riled; and Terry's car kept getting closer! Owen yelled out his anger and cracked a car window with his next bullet. It shattered and the alarm rang out into the deserted street.

 _Whatever works._ Owen cleared the ankylosaurs and braked again. Now the dinosaur was between them. Owen took the chance and got out, running for another car. He gained momentum and smashed the gun through the window. Its alarm also sounded. The ankylosaurs looked up with a nervous moan. It backed up, blocking the truck. The ankylosaurs turned, swiping its tail across the front. Only to come back around toward Owen! Owen ducked and rolled as it left a dent in the car door. The car alarms continued to blare, making Owen's ears hurt. That and the glass shard stuck in his knuckle! He reached the car again, in time to see the ankylosaurs lower its head.

"Kolov, hold your fire!" Terry shouted again at the red-faced Russian. The ankylosaurs snorted, scrapped its feet; then surged forward as they pulled back into the truck. Owen grinned as it pushed the truck down the street, braying madly. He fell back into their car, where Dr. Wu shook like a leaf. "Your... hand."

Owen eyed the bloody tracing down his arm as he geared the car up the street, away from the van and the ankylosaurs. Just more stitches to match his side.

"Might I suggest bandaging that and not getting blood everywhere?" Dr. Wu withdrew napkins from the glove compartment.

"That all you can think about right now?" Owen seethed as the glass strained against his movements. The pain was setting in-

"Drive with your other hand." Dr. Wu braced himself as Owen turned. Once they were righted, Owen gave him his hand; he couldn't leave the glass in there. Ahead, signs pointed him toward CA-88 and that's where his focus went. He held it in while Dr. Wu pulled the long piece out. All he cared about was getting to Claire and Maisie before Gavrill did.

 **You guys enjoying the ride? With Thanksgiving a week away, next chapter will be up next month. Until then, thankful for all the reads and reviews!**


	11. New Intent

**Merry December! Favorite time of the year for more reasons then there are snowflakes. My love and thoughts to all you faithful readers. Your reviews and encouragement inspire each new chapter.**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Grady had removed himself from their radio chatter. Aldovich couldn't believe the man's stupidity. Yet, he'd expected it. Some men were fit to be tied and others could never be tied down. In which case, they were shot, or otherwise disposed of.

"Mr. Gavrill," Aldovich respected his boss' harsh words over the phone. "I understand. I'll get to the bottom of it."

He hung up, freeing the hand that wasn't driving. He placed it in his breast pocket; then picked out the gun at his hip. "The embryos were not there."

His passenger started. "You tried to steal them!"

Aldovich shrugged, readying his gun with ease. "An insurance policy, nothing more."

The passenger blinked rapidly, trying to think; watching the gun the whole time. "I-I have them. I pulled them out of InGen last night." The uncertainty hardened to annoyance. "A part of me feared Gavrill would have you... this is what happens when people don't coordinate!"

 _Doesn't give me cause not to shoot you._ Aldovich rubbed his finger on the trigger. "We felt it was necessary."

"You felt you couldn't trust me. After all the intel I've provided, the deal I've set up!"

"You think that owes you a free pass?" Aldovich chuckled as he watched the road.

 _"Don't_ threaten me in the wake of your own impulses! Owen Grady's involvement was only a means of cornering his raptor. He don't need him drawing attention... or connections."

"Kolov," Aldovich took a moment to speak into his comm. "You and Terry cut your losses and return to your main objective."

"Understood." Terry answered. Kolov grunted. "Grady is a dead man."

He left it at that, switching the comm off. "If this is slipping out your grasp, Mr. Gavrill would be happy to take over."

The eyes of his passenger narrowed in anger and determination. "I have worked too long and too hard for this. You're sending them after the velociraptor, but she's just the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Gavrill allows me to dig deeper and he _will not_ be disappointed."

He had orders to keep Dr. Wu's presence secret. A possible back-up, should this whole thing go south. He also had orders not to shoot just yet. Still, Aldovich didn't lower the gun. He wanted his passenger to squirm under its nearness and recognize its reality. They were trying to hide the uneasiness through a squared jaw. "Shoot then. See how far you get."

Daring, even with the corner they were backed into. Aldovich lowered his gun, returning it to the holster. This was a two man plan; excessive, but necessary if they wanted nothing traced. Like it or not, he had to endure the company a little longer. "Just remember. My boss determines when your value runs out."

His passenger moved past that with a frustrated huff. "Just hope that your team hasn't cost us everything."

 **}{}{}{}{**

Claire paced the linoleum, heart thumping over any noise that passed by the waiting room. It was up the hall from the actual emergency room, where she'd been forced to wait. Wait and worry. A nurse had taken her information while doctors had wheeled Maisie into a room. She had still been flushed, still been shivering... and that was the image playing over in Claire's head. Doctors went back and forth, nurses pushed patients by in wheelchairs... NONE of them coming in to tell her about Maisie! She had left once, changing into the jeans and shirt she'd grabbed before rushing to the hospital. Other then that, nothing. Nothing she could say, nothing she could-

 _This isn't what I do!_ Claire stood, walked to a wall, and leaned against it. She tried concentrating on holding her brain together. _I fix problems! I don't wait for someone else to!_

Only, she couldn't fix this. That was the most terrifying. Even with the DPG, while her goals had changed, her work ethic hadn't. Claire rammed in, horns first and always came out with what she wanted. But none of that initiative was going to help here. Claire pulled her phone out of her jacket again; still nothing from Owen. WHERE was he? The waiting was bad enough, but having to wait alone... Claire hit her speed dialed, holding her breath. It rang and rang, spooking her with the belief that no one would pick up.

"Claire!" her sister's voice answered brightly. "About time you checked in! How's Carson City?"

Claire shook her head. "How do you do it, Karen?"

Karen gave a stunned pause. "Sorry, what?"

The tears of Claire's helplessness broke from under her eyelids. "Whenever the boys... when they get sick or hurt, what do you do to get through? To convince yourself you've done nothing wrong?"

More silence. Claire could just see her gaping. "Is... is this about that girl in your wedding photos?"

Claire lowered her head into her hand, hiding the tears. "We're adopting her, Karen. But it hasn't even been a week and she's sick. We're in an emergency room and... and I don't know what to do."

Karen released a laugh. "Sis, you had me worried there for a second."

Claire blinked. "Karen! We're in an _emergency room!_ "

"You're nowhere that hundreds of parents haven't been before." Karen said, her voice oddly calm. "I know that sounds callous, but it's true. It's part of parenthood and there's... I guess there's a line you adapt to walking on. A line between worry and trust. Worry about what the world might try to do to your kid, and trust that you've taught them the right stuff to get through it."

"But-"

"Claire," Karen stopped her. "Breathe. That's the Number One in parenting."

Claire mopped at her cheeks, shaking with another breath. She pulled in a second, then a third. Her chest didn't ease in its tension, but her brain stopped its spinning. Enough to remind her that she didn't breakdown. "You're really good at this, sis."

Karen snorted. "Trust me, I made it up as I went. Now, what do you know?"

"She was... sweating, but cold." Claire laid the facts out, her voice calmer with each one. "Flushed face, her eyes weren't focusing..."

Another call pinged in. It was Dr. Inger. She was surprised it had taken anyone from the conference this long to call her. "Karen- a really important distraction just came up."

"Take it." Karen understood as Claire hung up. She rolled her shoulders, putting her best tone forward. "Dr. Inger."

"Mrs. Grady." Dr. Inger spoke up eagerly. "I hope I'm not interrupting. You ended the meeting so abruptly-"

Claire nodded, eyeing the window. "Yes, I apologize. A... family member fell ill. I'm at the hospital right now."

"In Nevada?" Dr. Inger asked, puzzled.

"My sister's family." Claire swallowed, not bothering to flush the lie out. Thankfully, she didn't press.

"I'll be brief then." Dr. Inger hurried. "I was wanting the chance to speak to you, regarding your personal thoughts on the merger."

 _The farthest thing from my mind._ Claire held off a groan. She pulled the clip from her hair, like it might relieve some of the pressure. "It's not just my answer to consider, Dr. Inger. It's those of my employees and our group's investors."

"Of which my division is one of them." Dr. Inger's voice was stressing now. "Please, Mrs. Grady, hear me out. Professionally, InGen is a diverse company, dedicated to sound and viable research for the past 40 years. Unprofessionally, it is a collection of people who saw an idea for the future and decided to a take a chance on it. I'm not about to let that entire company lost its standing because of- an 'outbreak' as it were.'

'The fault doesn't lie with the technology for the rebirth of dinosaurs," Dr. Inger emphasized. "Rather, the people who were in charge of it. This is why I thought of you and your group when Senator Sherwood and I brought this idea to the table-"

Claire let her ramble on with her pitch, unable- uninterested- in interjecting. It was the same chance for her to return to the corporate frontlines. Decisions, meetings, ultimatums... control. Jurassic World had redefined that word for it, but hadn't changed its appeal. Was this a shot at redemption? Or an old habit she could so easily fall back into? Claire wished that was the only thing to worry about right now.

"The potential of this opportunity is not lost on me, Dr. Inger." Claire finally entered the dialogue. "And it would be more then we could've imagined for the DPG." She looked at the ceiling, glaring off with the fluorescent lights. "It will effect a lot of people in a completely new way. And we need to be sure that we can positively add to that. No decisions can be reached over a video conference."

"I understand." Dr. Inger's voice maintained its eagerness. "But it needs to move forward. No matter what."

So true.

"Miss Dearing."

Claire's head snapped to the door and she saw a black-haired, stocky pediatrician in the threshold. "Dr. Inger; please forgive me, but I need to go."

She didn't wait for Dr. Inger's response, cutting the call and crossing to the doctor. He nodded at her, chart between them. "I'm Dr. Lewis. I just came from your daughter's room-"

"How is she?" Claire about burst. "What's wrong?"

Dr. Lewis sucked on his lower lip before answering. "We managed to bring her fever down. I was waiting for the results of her blood work."

Claire's heart missed a beat as Dr. Lewis stepped fully into the room. "I realize your mind has been playing the worst, but it's really straight forward. It is... odd, however."

Claire was ready to shake Maisie's diagnosis out of him!

"In a child of Maisie's age," Dr. Lewis paused, looking Claire over- with suspicion? "In laments terms, she caught the common cold, yet it hit her three times over. The rapid way it attacked her body caused me to look at her red cell count. I found it to be low. Very low. Given, that I have none of her medical history-"

"She's always been susceptible to germs." Claire hastened to say something. "My- my husband and I were told her count would increase with time."

"Your husband?" Dr. Lewis looked back at the chart. Claire rubbed her temple. "My insurance doesn't recognize me as Mrs. Grady yet. I married... last week."

Was there a way to _not_ make that sound reckless?! Claire tried to save whatever face she was losing. Dr. Lewis clearly wanted to ask more, but stayed professional. "Her immune system is nearly nonexistent, Mrs. Grady. Again, highly unusual for a ten-year-old. When she was growing up, how often was she sick?"

That was a question Claire had never thought of. What was Maisie's medical history? Hd it ever been documented, or swept under the rug along with everything else? It was something only Iris could answer. Claire had left a message on her way to the hospital, but hadn't heard back.

Dr. Lewis nodded, but kept a furrowed brow. "On top of keeping her fever down, Maisie is running the risk of a bacterial infection and we'd like to keep her for observation. With your permission, we'll start her on an IV of ampicillin."

"Absolutely." Claire nodded. "Whatever you feel is best."

"We can release her when her fever goes down." Dr. Lewis continued, turning the chart over for her to sign. "With proper rest and fluid intake, she should be up and about within the week."

Every tendon within Claire finally relaxed. "Can I see her?"

Dr. Lewis took her a few doors down the hall, into a circus-themed children's room. A window let in the afternoon sun through sheer curtains. The rays hit the bed of another girl- twelve or so- in the room. She was sitting up, thin and pale with brown hair, a couple IVs up her arm. Claire overlooked her, only able to focus on Maisie's bed, closest to the door. She was sleeping... so still, and cheeks still so flushed. Her blankets were turned down, yet tucked in around her sides. Why did that make her seem so frail?

"I will get that IV authorized." Dr. Lewis excused himself. "There will be some papers at the nurse's station for you to sign."

Claire nodded, standing, frozen at the foot of Maisie's bed. It suddenly seemed like Maisie was made of sawdust. A single touch might cause her to collapse. Taking Karen's advise, Claire breathed. She then reached out, tapped Maisie's wrist. Maisie stirred, eyes fluttering open. They were still fairly dazed. "M...Mum?"

Great, she was going to cry again! Claire made her lips smile, squeezing Maisie's hand. "Hey. You weren't feeling too good, so we're at the hospital, getting you checked out. The doctors will give you some medicine to make you feel better."

Maisie blinked, first at her monitor, then at the ceiling. As though she was connecting Claire's words to her surroundings. She swallowed- it sounded dry. "When... when can we go home?"

"Soon." Claire told her, squeezing her pale arm. It was warm, yet veiny. She spied a cup and pitcher atop the stand and quickly filled it. Maisie managed a few sips before falling back onto her pillows. Claire put the cup within reach, on her tray. "I've gotta go sign some papers. You sleep, ok."

Maisie's eyes were already closed as she nodded. Claire reached the hallway and bent forward, giving herself a minute before heading to the nurse's station. She was given the forms necessary to provide Maisie with the IV and other perceptions. Dr. Lewis returned to say Maisie's temperature was down to a hundred. They'd keep her until tomorrow to ensure that her fever stayed down. Claire debated going to get the prescription now or when Maisie was released.

That was when her cell rang. She didn't recognize the number; even so, her gut answered for her. "Owen!"


	12. New Griefs

**I realize that there hasn't been nearly enough Franklin and Zia, but I had to pick and choose my POVs, to avoid the story feeling cluttered. They'll be around from here on out, I promise on the T-rex's wishbone! (No, really, it actually had one. Look it up.)**

 **}{}{}{}{**

The smells were fewer, the farther Blue followed the rocky terrain. She had started there, headed down into the noisy and unfertilized land below, and was now retreating back into it. Food had been easy enough to find, but there were also the guns. There were more of them every day and Blue didn't dare face them without a pack.

Evasion was her best bet. She had been shaking a persistent group for most of the afternoon. She kept upwind, but the ground made her tracks easy to follow. She was keeping a fair distance, torn between preservation and curiosity. They were her only link to understanding this new world, even if they were armed. That, and she was becoming tired... and hungry. If she didn't come across anything soon, she'd have tp pick one off. There were two that kept to the back that she could circle and nab before the front knew what happened.

Blue raised her head and sniffed the air. Her nostrils caught flesh and she made in the direction of the scent. She darted through the late afternoon sun, leaping over a fallen tree. A stream tried to mask the scent, but she crossed it easily, staying hot on the trail. Until it was strong enough to be close by; then Blue stopped to weigh her surroundings. She breathed in, tasting the scent now... and salivating. But she knew that only fools rushed in.

The trees cast their heavy shadows across the clearing. It was breezy, but quiet. Off on the edge, nibbling at the bushes, was the small animal. The animal, however, wasn't all that Blue smelled. She cocked her head, curiosity turning to confusing. The scent was familiar; of her former alpha. She raised her head.. and let out a mild chirp.

The bush beside the animal stirred slightly. That scent was _not_ Owen! Blue cut through the clearing, weight forward, claws expanded. She leaped over the animal and soon saw the wild, nervous eyes of the human in the bush. Blue knocked his gun aside, clamping her mouth around his neck. She wrestled his body up and charged with it like a battering ram into the second human farther back from the clearing. He was knocked down, scrambling for his weapon. Blue speared his hand with her sickle claw and gave a hiss, letting blood drip from her mouth, onto his face. She dropped his pack member atop him, bringing her face close. She breathed menacingly into the human's face, weakened with terror. Neither were Owen... she still smelled him though. Where was he?

More importantly, did she need to kill this one? She _was_ hungry, but one would sustain her. She had already established her dominance. One thing the humans were consistent in was avoiding what they were afraid of. Blue erected from her thoughts with a sudden puff of noise. She moved, but it wasn't fast enough as the net closed over her, knocking her several feet from the bodies. Blue struggled up, shrieking in protest. The binding had missed one of her legs and she kicked out, slashing the thigh of one of the humans trying to surround her. Only to have two more take his place, swooping in to secure the net. She bit and clawed, angry at the distraction. But the net restricted her too much. Not again! Blue fought the panic... until she felt a sting on the side of her neck.

Within seconds, Blue felt her heart and movements lids began to close, but not before staring up at the humans standing over her. Blue wanted to know what her next meal looked like.

 **}{}{}{}{**

 _"Owen!"_

"Claire." Owen's chest flooded with relief with her voice. Which quickly became angered. " _Where have you been!? Why aren't you answering-"_

Owen navigated Dr. Wu's car around another abandoned vehicle. They were becoming a staple along their otherwise lonely road trip. The cities had turned to towns, and they'd be entering the foothills soon. Owen found it amusing he couldn't seem to shake the shadows of the Sierra Nevada. He'd been checking the rearview mirror the whole time, even two hours after leaving Palo Alto. He didn't know if Terry and Kolov were chasing them, or had doubled back to Gavrill at the airport. He'd distracted himself by haggling Dr. Wu for his phone. It had taken him this long because the good doctor didn't want blood on it!

"Claire," Owen about shouted over her ranting. "Listen, I'm sorry-"

 _"No YOU listen!"_ her words slunk into her 'manager' mode. _"Maisie's in the hospital."_

The road ahead suspended in Owen's eyes as he processed that sentence. "What'd you mean?"

 _"What do I mean?"_ Claire echoed haughtily. _"I mean she started shivering and sweating at the hotel and an ambulance took her to Regional Medical!"_

Owen tried that image against Maisie's smile and hopeful wave as they'd driven away. Two days ago! He shook his head, seeing Dr. Wu's raised eyebrows. he thought to lower his voice, but there was no point. "What's wrong with her?"

 _"She caught a cold."_ Claire stated.

That was underwhelming. "You don't go to the hospital for a cold, Claire."

Claire huffed. _"You do when her fever is 104! Dr. L_ _ewis says that her immune system is so low, it couldn't fight germs. Like, she hasn't been exposed to them, something, I_ _don't... WHERE have you been?!"_

The desperation in that demand instantly made Owen feel guilty. When Claire dealt with things, she did it on her own and she did it professionally. She didn't crack. _This_ qualified as cracking and she probably didn't know what to do with that.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ Claire inhaled, pulling her control back in. Owen breathed with her, keeping his own anxiety at bay. "It's okay. How long are they keeping her?"

 _"Until tomorrow afternoon."_ Claire's voice composed. _"They need to bring her fever down, I have this_ _perception... and she'll need to eat a lot of fish."_

"What?"

 _"It's high in Vitamin_ B6." Claire explained. She researched on her phone when she was trying to relax. That didn't raise Owen's spirits any. Nor did eyeing the gun in the car's cupholder. "I'll be there in a couple hours."

"I suppose I don't have a say in this." Dr. Wu threw in.

 _"Zia's already headed up here."_ Claire was saying. _"I cut our conference short; which, we have a lot to talk about."_

She didn't know the half of it. Owen accelerated to keep himself calm. "Well, try this on for size. Those orders Sergeant Terry gave me were bogus."

Another pause, then her voice cracked. _"What!?"_

Owen gritted his teeth, wishing he had more answers. "He needed my help stealing the embryos out of InGen. The ones from Lockwood's estate."

 _"You found them?"_ Claire asked. Owen juggled the phone, feeling the sting of his bandaged hand. "No..." He looked over, catching the doctor's sour look. "They weren't there."

Dr. Wu glared back. "As much as I wish I had the answer Mr. Grady, I don't."

 _"Who's that?"_

"Dr. Henry Wu." Owen blew out his breath. "Look, I'll explain when I get there, just don't leave! Keep Maisie somewhere crowded and... don't trust anybody."

 _"Owen, you're scaring me."_ Claire's voice tettered on tears. _"It's logical people would be going after the embryos, but why use you to do it?"_

"Claire," Owen eased off the gas as they rounded a long curve. "We'll catch up when I get there... I love you, okay."

 _"Love you too."_ came Claire's earnest reply. Owen would use it to fuel him the rest of the way. He lowered the phone to Dr. Wu. "Dial another number for me."

Dr. Wu simply stared at it. "Secretarial duties aren't part of my job description."

"Neither is eating asphalt." Owen glared between Wu and his door. Dr. Wu laughed. "Neanderthal threats only take you so far, Mr. Grady."

Owen yelled as his cracked knuckles smashed Dr. Wu's nose, knocking his head against the window. Dr. Wu leaned forward, holding his face as Owen shook his hand out. That didn't help, but he needed to do something against the increased throbbing. "I've got someone who can help _us._ More help then anyone's going to offer you right now."

"Because I've done what's necessary to advance modern science." Dr. Wu removed a hand. Owen seethed. "You wanna compare crimes-"

"I am not about to argue the semantics of morals." Dr. Wu felt at his cartilage. "You signed the same contracts I did, as did Claire."

"Strange I wasn't consulted on any of your DNA splicing." Owen threw back at him.

"You both pushed down whatever doubts there were and you forged ahead because there was no stopping it." Dr. Wu insisted, smacking the phone on the dash. "It's inevitable, Mr. Grady. Progress, improvement. We don't act on it, someone else will."

"Ever hear that ignorance is bliss." Owen glared at the road; preachy scientists really got into his crawl.

"Try ignorance is an insult." Dr. Wu was back to scoffing. "An insult to every fiber of genetic material I have willed into perfection-"

"You gonna dial the number of not!" Owen yelled, knowing he wouldn't stand for one more pretentious sentence. He needed to find some common ground with this guy, but it could wait. Right now he needed information, data. Only one person could get him that.

 _"Hello?"_ a reluctant voice answered the fourth ring. Owen breathed out. "Franklin."

 _"Owen? Man, where are you?! Claire's been trying your phone."_

"I lost it." Owen gave the simple version of that. "I talked to her and I'm headed into Nevada now."

 _"Not through this checkpoint, I hope."_ Franklin's voice lowered and there was vague movement on his end. _"Sergeant Terry just drug your name across all our channels of communication. You're on the wanted list; as in, shoot first, ask questions later."_

 _I wasn't expecting anything different._ Owen reminded himself.

 _"...something about your breaking into InGen, stealing embryos... did you set the basement on fire?"_

"No." Owen grunted. "Terry did that as his own countermeasure. Look, none of what Terry's saying is true."

Franklin sighed in relief. _"I didn't think so. I wouldn't doubt you, it's just... you know how the mind wanders. There had to be an explanation though-"_

"Franklin," Owen gently cut him off. "Your eyes have been glued to maps all day. How do I get around the checkpoint?"

 _"I've been staring at URLs,"_ Franklin corrected him. _"And are you on CA-88?"_

"Yeah, we are." Owen was surprised to report. "Is it a straight shot?"

 _"88 passes too close to South Lake Tahoe."_ Franklin stated, but Owen heard his brain sizzling behind it. _"You'll want to take CA-89. It'll loop you around, but you should've run into anyone at the state line."_

"How much longer?"

Franklin mumbled as he configured. _"An hour?"_

He'd take it. Owen shook his head of the image of Maisie laying in a hospital. _She's fine. It's just a cold._

"This might surprise you, but I have other places to be besides your family reunion." Dr. Wu voiced from his seat. "Appointments that I cannot miss."

"Have you missed the headlines of the past week?" Owen glared at him, this time in disbelief. Dr. Wu's eyes narrowed with their agitation. "Enough to know there is a very small window of opportunity."

Owen didn't know what that meant and he didn't care. So he went back to ignoring the doctor. "Franklin, keep doing what you're doing. Let me know if anything new comes up."

 _"You got it."_ Franklin promised. With that, Owen hung up, keeping his eyes from the clock. He wouldn't even think about how much faster as jet was then a car. Now, if Dr. Wu would just keep quiet...

"I demand to be let out at the next gas station."

"You don't get a vote on pit stops." Owen growled. Dr. Wu sighed, ripping his coat off under his seat belt. "Whatever animosity you're harboring-"

"You were selling dinosaurs to the world's leading evil powers." Owen summarized. "For weapons! Now those dinos are loose and your buyer friends are threatening me and my family. So yeah, no vote!"

Dr. Wu shook his head, gazing out his window as the mountains outside grew. He kept quiet... for maybe twenty seconds. "I can see your dilemma, Mr. Grady. And yes, it is out of hand. But it the midst of it all, more then one future is at stake here; the future of science." He shook his head. "We've come too far to blow it all on sentimentality."

Owen brewed as he drove. "What's it like, having that thick cloud over your head?"

"I outgrew my blind ambition years ago, thank you."

There was too much irony in that sentence for Owen to respond. He only laughed. "Yeah? And you replaced it with what?"

"Commitment." Dr. Wu's face strained with the word. "To ensure the breakthroughs of genetic engineering, to secure a better future for mankind." He looked at Owen with a pompous chuckle. "You can't even imagine the knowledge we've gained in DNA typing alone."

 _I have a pretty good idea._ Owen swallowed at another thought of Maisie. Was there something in _her_ DNA causing a cold to act like the plague? Had Claire tried calling Iris? Of course she would've... Owen itched his forward with the wrist of his damaged hand. Guess he could let the doc talk, distract him-

"Another call." Dr. Wu eyed the phone as it buzzed. Owen saw Claire's number and picked up. "Claire?"

All he got was hyperventilating, a whisper, more hyperventilating. None of which sounded like Claire and it dried Owen's throat. "What?... Claire!"

"Maisie." Claire burst that word out, like there wasn't enough air. "Owen, she's gone!"

 **Hyperventilating yet?**

 **}{}{}{}{**

 **With the Christmas season underway, you'll have to wait til next year to find out the rest! Catch you up January 1st, 2019!**

 **A Merry Christmas to you guys until then!**


	13. New Battle

**Happy New Year all! Are you still breathing after that last chapter? Sorry about making you wait so long, but it's what a good writer does! I hope you all had a good Christmas.**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Owen braked the car, cutting himself and Dr. Wu with their seatbelts. "What're you talking about?"

 _"She's not in her room!"_ _Claire's_ voice heightened with fear. " _Her bed... Owen, it's empty!"_

Owen tried to complete a thought, but everything suddenly felt hollow. "She has to be there, Claire. It's a hospital-"

 _"Mrs. Grady,"_ a voice consoled from the background.

 _"You have to search for my daughter!"_ was Claire's frantic response. _"Find Dr. Lewis!"_

"What's wrong now?" Dr. Wu exasperated beside Owen. Owen leaned his forehead on the steering wheel, hearing Claire freak out to the nurse. The air was thin as he pulled in a breath; it hurt. And he couldn't get enough... Owen pushed open his door and got out. Claire's demands went on and a nurse tried calming her. The evening sun hit him with its heat, doing nothing for the pressure building in his chest. Dr. Wu followed him out, but Owen only heard his complaining through a long, echoing tunnel. _Maisie's gone... what does that mean? WHAT is happening!?_

"It's a hospital." Owen told himself, his back to the car. "Nobody vanishes from a hospital."

Why was his voice so raspy? His mind jumped ahead then, realizing that the hospital staff would be calling the police. And the police would ask questions. He and Claire had set a story up for Maisie; that her adoption was only a few weeks from being finalized. People could believe what they wanted about her parents; they were more likely to believe a half truth then a whole lie. That story would be pointless, especially if they put an Amber Alert out. Owen sucked in a breath to steady himself. "Claire, you need to get out of there."

"What?" Claire came back, voice hot and no less fearful. "Owen, I can't-"

"She's missing. We know why." Owen told her, forcing his teeth not to gnash. "Zia's meeting you there..." He looked up the road; they were still following the CA-88. "Wait for her, then make your way down to us."

"What good is that going to do?" Claire demanded.

"Just trust me on this!" Owen begged. He hung up because he knew he was seconds from breaking. Owen pressed his palm into his eyes, their dull pain intensifying with the stress squeezing his lungs. Who took Maisie? Why had Russians taken him, and why frame him? What was the point in drawing unnecessary attention to themselves?

"Mr. Grady." Dr. Wu persisted, wanting answers. Owen wanted them too. The lack of details was driving him insane! How was he going to fix everything when he didn't know anything? Owen's back slid down the car while his insides shook in the accumulation of emotion. He watched frantic colors of starbursts behind his eyes; wild and beyond his control. The growing theme of his life, it seemed. Owen prided himself on being realistic of his limitations, knowing what he could and couldn't control. It was the epicenter of many of his and Claire's arguments. But guarding his family, protecting Maisie... he wasn't letting _that_ get away from him!

"Is it too much to ask what happened?"

In one swift motion Owen shot up and slammed the scientist over the trunk of the car. His fists warmed at the fear hitting the man's face. What did this guy know about fear?

"Mills ever talk about Lockwood's daughter?" Owen asked, shaking Wu by the collar. Dr. Wu showed confusion, but realization finally played over his face. "His... _dead_ daughter?"

"Death's not what is used to be." Owen gave him another jolt. "You hid under that house for three years. Mills never told you about Maisie?"

Her name came out easily. Owen was done playing it safe. Dr. Wu picked up on that, swallowing hard. "H-How do you know that name?"

"So you know about it." Owen confirmed, his grip tightening.

 _"Of course_ I knew! You think Mills would trust that knowledge with any other-"

"Oh spare me!" Owen rolled him over so he fell face-first on the pavement. "Who else did Mills tell?"

Dr. Wu sat up, holding his side. "It took Mills two years to tell me; only when it was important that I know. For her future."

 _Some future._ Owen stared at him, between disbelief and speculation. "He tells you and that's it?"

"I was preoccupied with the makeup of the Indoraptor." Dr. Wu stated. "Maisie was our next project, once we certified the hybrid's DNA as pure." His look wavered. "Though it seems her code is far from perfect."

Owen backed up, away from the temptation of smashing Wu's face in. "Claire and I took her in after Lockwood's death. She was getting a fever checked and now she's gone! Who else knew?"

"No one." Dr. Wu insisted, up and dusting himself off. "No one was _meant_ to know. Mr. Mills had a time and place for her reveal, but it wasn't to be for several years. When we were sure..."

Owen's stomach dropped again. "She'd survive?"

Dr. Wu looked to the horizon, blinding them from across the highway. Owen tried to get a read on his face, but it remained cryptic as always. Owen closed his eyes again, took another breath. He worked the bandage on his hand, thinking, putting his mind back on track. Maisie and Claire needed him at his best; _he_ needed him at his best. Owen stared his feet, the next step becoming clear. "You're going to tell me where those embryos are."

Dr. Wu sighed with a pinch to his nose. "Why would I do that?"

"Because if we hope to get through this, we need a bargaining chip." Owen straightened. Dr. Wu shook his head. "I'm not allowing you to gamble with the future of science."

Owen threw his arm madly at the California ranges. "You lost that gamble a long time ago, doc."

"And we'll modify it to be better next time." Dr. Wu insisted, hands on his hips. "As we've always done."

"All in the name of progress, right?"

"As usual you all think too small." Dr. Wu judged, chin back in its pretentious pose. Owen shook his head. "You can progress into your grave or jail- I don't care. I'm progressing northeast."

"And leaving me here?" Dr. Wu started as Owen leaned into the car. He stared at his gun; such an easy thing to use... but not until he had to. Owen moved it aside and situated himself behind the wheel. He glanced back at Dr. Wu. "In or out. I'll need those embryos either way. Who knows what'll happen if I move them by myself."

Dr. Wu looked back down the road; like a rescue might appear. It didn't. He trudged to the passenger side and got in. Owen started the car, saying nothing. But praying. Hard. _Please... God, please. Make something good come out of this._

 **}{}{}{}{**

Franklin had escaped an erupting volcano, subdued a geneticist... so _why_ did checking Terry's computer still leave him in a bundle of nerves? Maybe because he hadn't done it yet. Franklin was still processing files at his desk, trying to find a good spot to excuse himself. If Terry was the traitor- and not Owen- then he had to have evidence of it somewhere in his files. Franklin looked down at the petty thumb drive, his ticket into the leader's tent. He'd claim it was a new information upload for Sergeant Terry. It was just before one-o-clock and no one from head ops had eaten yet. They'd be too busy and hungry to care if he sat down and instead _downloaded_ information.

Great plan! Too bad he couldn't convince himself that it would work. Franklin dredged a hand from his curly hair and pushed his glasses up. _I didn't consider breaking any laws when I was anti-social._

Franklin straightened, just as the ping of a new video sounded from his screen. Like the gun signaling him from the starting gate. Franklin got up and with stiff strides, tried shaking the jelly out of his legs. They carried him out of his tent, across the harsh and hot California ground, to the flap of the head ops tent. He sucked in a breath and continued inside. Everyone was at their stations, and none looked up. Franklin didn't seek eye contact as he headed for the computer he knew Sergeant Terry had been using. He worked the thumb drive through his fingers, hesitated, then sat at the desk. _Slip it in, download, slip it out..._

"Excuse me?"

Franklin started, heart slamming against his ribs. "It's nothing! Just an update!"

A hand spun him around to face Lt. Colonel Placer. He looked from Franklin to the computer screen. "Kind of pointless considering Sergeant Terry is away."

"For... when he gets back." Franklin offered. "I'm just doing my job. Trying to put an end to all this."

Placer eased off, his face going pensive. "Aren't we all."

"Right." Franklin turned back to the computer, praying that he didn't notice his shaking shoulders.

"I'm meeting Terry with the rest of his unit later tonight." Placer's eyes remained on Franklin's back. "I'll let him know."

"Great." Franklin kept his fingers at a steady pace over the keys. Those eyes were still there; he couldn't keep this up much longer!

"That Grady character," Placer stepped around so he could eye Franklin's face. "You and him are friends."

Franklin swallowed.

"He try to get in touch with you?"

"No." Franklin answered- more like hiccuped. "Work colleagues; nothing major."

He listened to Placer's footsteps fade out. Then finally released his breath and opened the thumb drive. An agonizing twelve seconds later and Sergeant Terry's files were downloaded. Franklin ordered his hand to stop shaking, unplugging the drive. He knew it'd be best to wipe his activity from the hard drive, but that would require an extra sixty seconds. And Placer was still eyeing him from the table. Franklin made sure to nod and smile as he left the tent.

"Put your phone on vibrate already." his 'desk mate' mentioned back at their tent, barely glancing up from her screen. Their stream of videos had been gradually slower in the last day; oh, to just kick back and be lost in the glowing green spiral of IP addresses and URL links! But Franklin wasn't done yet. He needed to get out of here, meet up with the others. The last text from Zia put her an hour out of Carson City.

 _Call me!_ Shouted the last four texts from Zia. Franklin frowned, shouldering his pack. "Lunch break."

Again, not a glance from his desk mate. Thank goodness! Franklin held off until he was back outside and beyond the tents. _Don't look anywhere or at anybody! Don't draw attention to yourself..._ How did Owen make it look so easy? Reaching his car, Franklin dialed Zia. "You already at Carson City?"

"Scrap Carson City!" Zia exclaimed, breaths coming short and fast. "I'm almost there, but only to pick up Claire."

"Huh?"

"Owen's got Dr. Wu with him and Maisie's missing." Zia blurted. "Just get behind a wheel and start driving."

Franklin tried to keep these new bits of information from frying his brain. "Maisie... she's in the hospital. How does a kid-"

"Yeah, question of the hour." Zia huffed. "Somebody else must know. It's the only thing that makes sense."

 _Because everything having to do with this makes perfect sense._ Franklin resisted adding fuel to Zia's sarcasm. "How? I wiped those cameras and Claire said Lockwood's records only mention her as his granddaughter. There's even a birth certificate-"

"I don't know." Zia said. "But Claire _will_ come unglued if we don't offer her a plan. Even if it's one word; driving. I'll call you back when I can tell you more."

Franklin started to ask questions, but she hung up. He let the phone fall on the seat, beside his laptop. He stared at the windshield of his car a second. Government sorting, traitors and turncoats, and now missing children. He wasn't equipped to deal with any of this! Course, he could sit here and tell himself that, or he could try and have some inkling of what was going on to. It might ease Claire's minds when he saw her. Franklin backed out, plugging in the thumb drive. The information could load while he headed out. He needed back ups of the back ups for something like this. His peripheral watched the data stream grow as the laptop read the information off the drive. He was only a few miles outside the perimeter when he spotted familiar coding. Several strips of them.

 _Videos._ Franklin realized. The kind he had been filtering through all week. There were close to twenty, dating back six days or so. Franklin turned onto the highway, heading south from the base. His curiosity got him to click on the top link. He was met with the grainy and half-lit footage of a home security camera. Franklin considered his options, then braked, pressing play.

He watched the video; his pulse went up and he clicked on the two following it. Both made him catch him breath. Well... this complicated things.

 **}{}{}{}{**

She was thirsty. Maisie opened her eyes, which didn't hurt as they had before. And what was that bumping?

"Maisie?"

Maisie lifted her head from the stiff hospital pillow. "Water, Claire?"

She froze when she saw that the blonde woman beside her wasn't Claire. Through high cheekbones and bangs, she smiled gingerly. "How are you feeling? I gave you medicine to ward off the fever."

"Where's Claire?" Maisie asked, looking around so's to register her surroundings. Metal cabinets and floors, and a sink next to the gurney she was on. The back of an ambulance... how... "W-Who are you?"

"I'm a friend." the woman said, placing her hand on Maisie's arm. The hand was cold. "I'm sorry if you're scared-"

"Where's Claire!" Maisie sat up, oddly feeling more strength then she had all day. She tried to keep her panic down as she only spotted a man driving up front.

"Listen." the woman placed her other hand on Maisie's other arm. "You got sick and we didn't have a choice. We're headed somewhere where we can... discuss your unique situation."

Maisie tried to hold tears back and get a grip on her situation. If she wasn't with Claire anymore, then someone had taken her. So, this woman had to know that she was a clone. Maisie jutted her chin out, pushing the woman's hands off. "You stole me!"

The woman eased off with a sigh. "I don't expect you to understand yet, but it'll be alright. I took care of the hard part, but there's still a lot of studying to do."

 _The hard part?_ Maisie was confused. Her head throbbed and there was heat...

"You have it under control back there?" The man driving spoke. He had an accent, but wasn't British. The woman ignored him, touching Maisie's arm again. That was where the heat was coming from. Maisie looked down to find her forearm bandaged, a few faint spots of blood poking through the gauze. Maisie's voice shook. "What'd you do?"

"I took the necessary samples." The woman was explaining, her voice soft, yet tight with excitement. "Once we reach-"

Maisie shot her free arm out, knocking the woman in the chin. "I'm _not_ a science experiment!"

The man exclaimed something. The woman's eyes flashed determinedly at Maisie. "Please understand how important-"

"Where's Claire?" Maisie returned to her original question; the only one she cared about. The woman rejected that, shaking her head. "Maisie, you have many things to offer the world. But only if you're looked after in the proper way."

"I'm fine."

"You're sick." the woman gestured to Maisie's flushed cheeks. "That's a risk the Gradys should have been aware of. But it's not their concern now."

She turned away, pushing a bag over. "I have some clothes for you, and more medicine. You'll take it in an hour. By then, we should be there."

Maisie gazed around, helplessness setting in. "Where?"

"Where we need to be." the woman assured her.

Maisie lowered her head, just to make it stop swimming. She watched the ceiling and clutched the sheets in her fists. Her bandage itched, then burned against her skin and she held her arm up. _The necessary samples?_

Maisie ignored the pull of the surgical tape and lifted the corner of the gauze. The skin was pink... followed by red, raw muscle! Her skin was gone, cut away! Maisie's face paled and she slapped the tape back on. She laid back, fighting the bile climbing her throat. _Claire, Owen. Find me soon._


	14. New Wrinkle

**Happy to be welcomed back with such open arms! Many thanks for the comments and glad to have you all back as well!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Claire didn't know what more could be done to torture her! Part of her begged to be back at the hospital, ripping it apart, searching for Maisie. She'd left par Owen's orders. She trusted him and had met up with Zia, who was driving them back into California. With their miles, Claire felt a growing ferocity to hunt down whoever took her child. Then there was the part, aching to run away, back through time and all the way back up to the mountain ridge. Owen, her, and Maisie and a cabin by the lake. Funny how she had been anxious to get away a few days ago.

Zia slowed, jerking Claire to attention. She was expecting to see Maisie, but no... a stegosaurus lumbered across the street, its head and tail swinging from side to side. Zia thought a moment, then honked at her. The stegosaurus started, stumbled back, and bore a low, warning moan at them. Claire leaned forward to take in the length of the creature as it came nose-to-nose with Zia's car. "Really?"

Zia shrugged the anxiety off her face. But she yelped along with Claire as the stegosaurus walked past, brushing the car with its thick skin. Claire breathed easier as it shrunk in her sideview mirror; only to jump when its spike broke the back window. Zia cried at the scattered glass. "Seriously?!"

Claire might have teased her... if it had been anything other then a dinosaur! But she only placed her forehead back on the cool glass of her window, watching the land and sky blur by. Somehow the wonder of a stegosaurus was second to her current whirlwind of emotions. What she'd been feeling this past month... emotions she had deemed unnecessary for years. Now they bobbed on the surface, throwing her off balance. _Guess I'll never stop fighting for control. And why shouldn't I? Here I am, daring myself to care... and look where it's gotten me._

Zia cleared her throat from her driver's hunch over the wheel. "I'm, like, two seconds away from erupting- pun intended- with questions, Claire. Fill me in, please!"

Claire righted herself, pulling her frazzled ponytail out so she had time to get the facts in order. "A Dr. Lewis ran some tests and found Maisie's immune system basically non existent. Leading me to think that the flu, measles, chicken pox, she's never had them before."

"It's possible," Zia thought aloud. "If she's been restricted to that mansion her whole life. But, I mean, every kid gets a cold."

Claire turned worried eyes at Zia. "What if it's because... of her make-up?"

Zia snorted. "You mean, human womb versus test tube?"

"And I can't get a hold of Iris to ask her." Claire couldn't help wincing. She wanted to be mad at the old caretaker, but Iris was only the guardian of Lockwood's secrets; not the creator of them. "Zia, how could I make a move like this without asking more questions?"

"There wasn't time." Zia shrugged. Claire craved the young paleo-vet's nonchalance. Zia reached over and squeezed her arm. "What's Owen say?"

"He's not answering." Claire exasperated. "Again."

"He's probably processing just like you." Zia said, adjusting her glasses. "But we do need an end game here... call Franklin. We can figure a place to meet up and he'll rely it to Owen. Oh, and Wu."

Claire's jaw dropped at Zia. "Henry? How-"

"Ask Franklin." Zia waved at Claire's phone. She was forcing a task on Claire to keep her mind off Maisie. It was working, Claire punching out Franklin's number with over-needed vigor. Franklin answered on the first ring. "Oh my gosh, Claire. How are you-"

"Franklin, Zia and I are back in California." Claire deflected his inquiry and put her phone on speaker. "We're trying to meet up with Owen, but he's not answering."

"Not to take his side," Franklin swallowed. "But he's got a lot on his plate. Some guys forced him to help break into InGen and Sergeant Terry's making it look like Owen deserted and put him on an arrest list-"

 _I was better off not knowing._ Claire closed her eyes tepidly. Zia exhaled. "Real comforting to hear, Franklin."

"Well there's more-"

"Save it." Zia ordered his silence. "We had to take the 206 and we're on the old CA-88 right now."

"You're practically on a collision course with them," Franklin configured after a moment. "I had to trace some of the gallimus' through those hills... there's a gas station about 57 miles ahead of you, past Garberville. Owen can reach it in about that time. It'll take me closer to 90 minutes though."

"Works." Zia zoomed the GPS on her phone. "Rely that to Owen for us? He'll pick up for you."

Claire looked at her, wondering why Zia didn't take control more often. Not that it was new... just comforting to know that she could.

"I'll get there as soon as I can." Franklin assured them. "I've got something crazy to share."

That was becoming the theme of the day.

 **}{}{}{}{**

The gas station was abandoned, but the pumps were still taking cards. Dr. Wu was gracious enough to lend some plastic to fill their tank. Owen had grown more tense with the risk, but now felt sweet relief seeing Claire step out of the car with Zia. Her face was worn out, her hair a bright and crazy cascade. He was out of his car and clutched her tresses like an anchor as he kissed her. "You ok?"

Claire clutched his shoulders, staring like he was kidding. "No. No, I'm not."

Owen wanted to pull her in, feel her close to him, but her posture advised against it. He swallowed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

That jolted Claire slightly from her rigid stance, feeling his bandaged hand. "Apparently, you were busy."

"Who's sharing first?" Zia announced herself with a glare at Dr. Wu. "And, who invited him?"

Dr. Wu returned her dry tone. "I'm not thrilled to be here either."

"Only comfortable with things in cages?" Zia bit out. Dr. Wu ignored her, sending a curt nod to Claire. She straightened her hair. "Henry."

Owen kept his grip on her so she'd look at him. "I told him about Maisie."

Claire blinked. "Wh-"

"I already knew." Dr. Wu exasperated. "And I'm insulted to find that you do."

"And me." Zia waved from across the car. Dr. Wu looked sick at the thought. He glanced at the ground, rubbing his chin. "And none of you have the _slightest_ comprehension-"

"Say it." Owen wheeled on him, at his limit with the guy's pompousness. "See what happens."

"How is he even here?" Claire finally asked.

"He was hiding at InGen." Owen told her, eyes still on the squirmy doctor. "Where the remaining embryos were supposed to be. They weren't."

Claire's eyes lifted, leaving their worry for puzzlement. "The embryos... from the estate?"

"What others could there be." Dr. Wu put in. Owen gestured to Zia and lowered his voice as she joined him and Claire. "We could use them to get Maisie back. Wu moved the embryos yesterday. He was supposed to follow, but then my Russian buddies and I happened."

Any questions stemming from that Claire saved for later, new determination in her eyes. She broke their circle. "Henry, do you know where those embryos are?"

Dr. Wu shook his head. "Of course I do. And I know what will happen if I tell you. You'll flush 35 years of research and achievement down the toilet. You accept me to stand for that? No one knows a _tenth_ of what I do about their make-up, their capabilities, or how to go about administering them."

Zia tilted her head to the darkening sky. "Can barely see you from that high horse you're ridin' doc."

Dr. Wu just about laughed at her. "Proving that this is all some big joke to you."

"It lost its humor when people started dying." Owen spoke before Zia could. Dr. Wu remained unfazed, though exasperated. "People die every day in their devotion to make progress. The future of _our_ way of life stems from countless sacrifices, made since the dawn of time! Why do you think Masarani was willing to take risks in the park? Why Hammond and Lockwood even considered giving dinosaurs life again? Because it is our _natural_ right to move forward. Any good scientist knows that."

"It's not scientists that dinosaurs are eating." Claire bit out. Dr. Wu moved his glare a step closer. "First, that's rich coming from you-"

Claire worked her jaw, a subconscious look going to Owen. How had her eyes changed so much from three years ago? From three weeks ago? It was a change that welcomed and worried him.

"Second," Dr. Wu moved his shoulders. "What do you want me to say?" He eyed Zia, but only for a second. "That we ignore the questions and the curiosities? That we live in the Stone Age? We could argue stances all night. But none of it will change the significance that those embryos- or your girl- holds. Should she survive or not."

Claire threw herself at him. Owen barely caught her as a car honked its way beside them, dispelling _some_ of the tension. Claire backed up, pulling herself together as Franklin parked and got out. His disheveled appearance matched well with everyone else's; only his face was more excited. "Owen, you are not going to believe..."

He stopped, looking unsure at Dr. Wu. Though, what was the point in holding back now? Owen didn't know if he could handle anymore bomb shells right now. He sighed as Franklin joined their circle. "I'm off the army's 'Most Wanted List'?"

Franklin's face fell. "Actually, they've probably listed me with you by now."

Zia snorted. "I'd love to glimpse your mug shot."

"Franklin," Claire butted in, her voice taking its usual command. "Please tell me there's a way to track Maisie from the hospital."

"If they were bold enough to take her, you think they'd be lazy enough to get caught." Dr. Wu threw in, sharing his own puzzlement. "Why take the risk in the first place?"

Claire teared up again, sucking in a breath. "They knew she was sick..."

"...and couldn't risk losing her as a specimen." Owen concluded the cold thought.

"They would know her value." Dr. Wu repeated, suddenly thoughtful.

"How do we know it's more then one person?" Zia pointed out. Owen looked at her, then grabbed Claire's shoulder. "One to keep an eye on her..."

"...one to drive." Claire finished, life sparking back into her eyes. "An ambulance."

 _An ambulance to where?_ Owen scrambled for more of the pieces to fall into place. Even with Maisie needing medical attention, they would dump the ambulance for something inconspicuous. From there, they could blend into any highway and back road; Owen tilted his head back to avoid becoming sick. _Every road... which one are you on, Maze?_

Dr. Wu's movements caught Owen's peripheral. He stared over at the scientist's pacing. Fingers to his chin, brow furrowed over his eyes, he was nursing a deep thought. Claire caught it too. "Henry, what?"

Dr. Wu held up a hand, eyes flitting over the ground. "The day after we evacuated Lockwood's lab, there was a message on my private cell. A woman identified herself as an anonymous partner of Mr. Mills'. We had intended to meet the week following the auction."

He had their attention now. Dr. Wu drew a calculating breath. "Sure of its success, Mills scheduled to have our team meet and discuss new methods, other possibilities, for these animals and their DNA." He eyed Owen intently. "Blue's DNA was meant for extraction, with the purpose of creating more hybrids that mirrored her traits."

"Traits that she _learned._ " Owen stressed.

"Her genetic make-up proved more receptive to these traits than others." Dr. Wu had stepped back into his 'Lord of the Sci-Fi' shoes. "In case you forgot, I was the first to note intelligence in the raptors. IBRIS was created to test that theory against multiple strands of genetic code."

Owen resisted an eyeroll. "I was there for the debriefing."

"Were you present for the hours required to assemble even a single code," Dr. Wu's voice turned shrill. "let alone manipulate it into a living thing? Every raptor born was a unique and pristine turnout of our labor. Blue's was simply the first to respond in the way that we wanted."

"And if she hadn't?" Claire was suddenly asking. Dr. Wu sighed at her. "You- _both_ of you- knew where we were going with the program. You signed the same agreements, filed the same reports as the rest of us."

Owen clutched his fists. "Get to the part we don't know."

"The meeting would be the next step in creating more hybrids," Dr. Wu reined himself in. "However, Dr. Inger lighted to a new direction. That it was urgent we still try to meet. Lockwood's cloning-"

"Wait!" Claire stopped him, her face blanched more then it already was. "You said... you said Dr. Inger?"

"Dr. Patrice Inger." Dr. Wu elaborated.

Owen caught Claire's arm as she wobbled. Zia stomped forward and shoved the doctor back. "You _know_ her!"

Owen's frustration mounted. "Somebody wanna clue me in?"

"She called me... at the hospital." Claire backed up from Owen, even while she still wavered. "I told her where I was. Why I was there-"

Zia looked back at them. "That conference we had. A Dr. Inger was one of the callers." She glared at Dr. Wu. "Blonde, brown eyes, scrawny neck."

"I haven't met her, so I wouldn't know." Dr. Wu emphasized. "Only that she wants to meet with me. And if I don't, I might not to be able to advance our research."

Owen stared at him in a disbelief. "She may have kidnapped a kid and you're worried about missing a meeting."

Dr. Wu kept his face collected. "She must've felt she had no choice."

Franklin looked between them. Then squared his shoulders. "You and Dr. Inger are taking unnecesary risks. You move the embryos _and_ schedule a business meeting, even while every federal law enforcement is looking for you."

"Implying?" Dr. Wu stared at Franklin; like he didn't like other people trying to sound smart. Franklin swallowed, but went on. "You wouldn't take that risk if Dr. Inger hadn't promised something you don't have. Like a human clone."

Dr. Wu threw up his hands. "You have no proof that Dr. Inger-"

"We don't have any other theories either." Claire jumped back into the conversation. Her eyes remained red, but her face had steeled, matching Owen's frustration. "Henry, where's that meeting?"

"You honestly think-"

Owen squeezed the front of Wu's shirt, pinning Dr. Wu against the car with his arm and his glare. "Here's what's going to happen, doc. You and Inger can talk DNA until you're blue, but _we-"_ he gestured between Claire and himself. "Are taking Maisie home."

A breath passed. Dr. Wu's eyed Owen's grip, holding off his intimidation."You're asking the impossible, Mr. Grady. The cloning took place, whether you like it or not. That can not be ignored."

 _I can make him tell us._ Owen's grip was about dissolving the fabric of the doc's shirt.

"This isn't one of your specially cooked dino eggs, Dr. Wu." Zia's voice strained. "It's a kid."

"All the more reason she must be carefully monitored." Dr. Wu actually pushed back on Owen. "It's already being proven she can't exist outside strict environmental conditions."

"Maisie will adapt with time." Claire said. "But only if she's given the chance."

"She is an irreplaceable unit of science!"

"She's a _life_ , Henry." Claire countered. Owen pulled the doctor up, putting them eye-to-eye. "Either we go with you or you don't show up at all."

The two men stared off, Owen knowing his resolve was stronger. Dr. Wu's was overshadowed by science and progress. A few more seconds and he sighed in defeat. "There's an old InGen facility, past Lone Pine and in the valleys. With dried up lakes and ghost towns, it was perfectly secluded for any outsourced operations. It hasn't been used in ten years, so Dr. Inger felt it was perfect. Far from the curious public, as she said."

Owen knew it wasn't much. They couldn't even be certain that this Dr. Inger knew who Maisie was. But her name was popping up too many times to be a coincidence.

"Guys," Franklin raised his hand, as though for permission to interrupt. They looked at him, just as he was bleached out by flood lights. Owen looked toward the road with the others. His stomach dropped when he saw several army vehicles pulling in to the gas station.

"What-" Claire stated her confusion as the vehicles braked. Soldiers were out then, their guns raised.

"Oh boy." Franklin gulped, laptop hugged to his chest.

"Freeze!" Colonel Placer ordered them.


	15. New Tactic

This lab gave Maisie deja vu of her visit to Mr. Mills' hidden basement; cages, long counters of equipment, tall cabinets, and glowing machines that hummed under low blue lighting. It was at the bottom of a drab gray building, under an office space of abandoned desks and cubicles. Maisie was cramped and weak from being jostled on the gurney, but ordered herself to keep up with the driver's- Mr. Aldovich's- cold grip on her arm. While he wasn't tall or bulky, there was something mean and horrible that laid beneath his still face. Something Maisie knew not to provoke.

Dr. Inger stopped at a set of glass doors, swiped a card against the pad, and led Maisie into a corridor. Maisie started at the sound of scrapping metal and noticed the moving bodies of compsognathus in one of the cages. They waved their little arms through the bars, eyes twitching and ravenous. Maisie swallowed, remembering her last encounter with them. Her eyes shifted to the bigger cage alongside them and gaped at the pterodactyl that peered back at her. She wondered at their presence, then it occurred to her. _More samples._

Dr. Inger crossed the main lab area, vials of Maisie's blood and tissue coming out of her jacket pocket. Maisie's arm burned at the thought of skin the doctor had scrapped off. Another swipe of her card and she took them into the next room, separated only by thick glass. Maisie felt the chill and realized it was a preservation room. _She's putting my skin in there..._

Why was that thought so terrifying, even with restless dinosaurs nearby?

"Over here," Dr. Inger exited the preservation room. She took Maise's hand gently- too gently. "I've arranged a special place for you."

She meant the closed off corner of the room, where hazmat suits hung next to a curtain. Maisie pulled back.

"...and we'll need to scan for any bacteria we might have missed." Dr. Inger was explaining. She dropped Maise's hand to switch her jacket for a lab coat. "Your body is one of delicate condition, Maisie. We can't be negligent with it."

Maisie looked down at her hands, her feet, and each of her arms. How many times had she stared over them? Her scalp would tingle in that eerie sense that she wasn't in control, wasn't in charge of her body...

"You can rest after cleaning up." Dr. Inger was pulling a few chemical bottles from under a sink. "I have someone coming to meet you; someone to help me take care of you."

Maisie shook her head, locking her arms at her sides. "I don't need any care. And I don't want to be here."

Mr. Aldovich kept her from backing up, but Dr. Inger stopped him with her eyes. "I'm certain you have some calls to make."

He looked amused by her dismissal, but left. Dr. Inger waited for the doors to close, then coaxed Maisie to the counter with her chemicals. "This is where you need to be right now, Maisie. "You're sick-"

"I'll get better." Maisie insisted.

"It's not that simple." Dr. Inger attempted a hand on her shoulder. Maisie drew back and Dr. Inger held her hand up, as though calling a truce. "I've looked over your test results. Your sudden interaction with the world exposed you to germs and elements your body is unequipped to deal with. Without understanding the situation, people like that Dr. Lewis can't help you."

Maisie wouldn't admit that her head pounded and her muscles still ached. Dr. Inger, however, wasn't fooled. She gestured to the chemicals resting in their glass bottles. "Portioned correctly, these are the antibiotics I'm using to fight your body's virus. They need to be administered every three hours."

Maisie rubbed her shoulder, stiff from when Dr. Inger had pricked it in the ambulance.

"Would your grandfather give you any regular medications?" Dr. Inger asked, opening a drawer of instruments. "Did you ever have any special check-ups?"

"No." Maisie's fists clenched. Dr. Inger nodded gently, like she understood Maisie's frustration. "Please understand your significance; and how important it is that you answer these questions."

Maisie said nothing. The compies continued their scrapping. Dr. Inger released the tight bun of her hair with a sigh. "Maisie... are you aware of how cloning happens?"

Maisie felt her face tighten.

"I can explain it," Dr. Inger's chest swelled with pride. She lifted up a syringe, marked in millimeters. "I've studied your beginnings and can tell you a lot about yourself. But you have to trust me."

The confusion only added to Maisie's headache. She _did_ want to know... the how, the why, all of it. She was tired of only having questions. But Claire and Owen had promised they'd find out together. She couldn't be alone when she finally got her answers. She wasn't strong enough. Maisie shook her head. "This isn't about telling me who I am. If it were, you wouldn't have taken me!"

Dr. Inger's stare turned to awe. "You're a marvel, Maisie. You know that, don't you?"

She made it sound so grand. But she wasn't seeing Maisie when she said it. Maisie thought of Grandpa and the light in his eyes when he saw her. She thought of Iris, always after her to wash up and stop sneaking up on her! Then there was Owen and Claire... people that loved _who_ Maisie was, not _what_ she was.

 _"When you're ready, kid." Owen had told her._

I'm not ready." Maisie told Dr. Inger boldly. The same she'd told Owen and Claire. "It's my body and my decision."

"Oh," Dr. Inger's voice took on an edge. "Is that what the Gradys told you? Maisie, there's more at risk here then just you. Your grandfather was sick for a long time, yes?"

Maisie hesitated, but nodded. Dr. Inger came forward, finally getting a hand on her shoulder. "Others like him are sick, with no way to get better. But your creation opens the possibility for them to heal. Reproducing cells and organs to replace the ones that are damaged. Giving people a way that they don't have to die."

She had a hand on each of Maisie's shoulders now, eyes intent on her face. Maisie didn't focus on them though. The compies' hungry screeching and the lab's machinery had faded out. She only heard the flat whining of Grandpa's monitor, telling her that he was dead. Maisie's chest ached when she thought about him; she still cried.

Dr. Inger's voice pitched with eagerness now. "That's just one example of what your DNA-"

A sudden beep interrupted her. "Dr. Inger, it's here."

It came from the intercom on the far wall. Dr. Inger rushed over to click the button. "Back entrance. The elevator will bring you straight down."

She didn't give Maisie time to react, only pushed her closer to the curtain. "I know this seems cruel, but it will get better. It's what's best."

"For you." Maisie challenged. Dr. Inger drew the curtain with a heavy sigh. "I'll be back in a minute."

Maisie looked over the cot and dresser that the curtain hid. How long did Dr. Inger plan to keep her here? Besides that, what was so important for the doctor to leave her alone? Maisie stepped back into the middle of the lab, gazing cautiously through the sealed doors, into the hall. Dr. Inger was gesturing and talking to Mr. Aldovich and two other men. One was Aldovich's physical opposite and the other wore a suit. His eyes shifted, found Maisie, then lit up. He seemed to mention her, but Dr. Inger pulled him back into their conversation. Maisie moved closer, to find them huddled around a cart.

The big man held his gun on it, shifting his position. Maisie strained to see and her breath caught when she spotted claws and a bright-striped tail. "Blue?"

 **}{}{}{}{**

"We're getting arrested." Franklin's thin chest heaved up and down. "I'm going to jail, I'm going to rot in a cell-"

 _Shut up!_ Zia wanted to yell at him, but kept herself still behind the shape of the back tire. She'd been going around to the driver's side of her car, unable to be by Dr. Wu anymore, when the army caravan had announced themselves. She huddled there out of the heat of their floodlights, wondering if she could buy time or was avoiding the inevitable.

"Relax," Owen coached to Franklin. "Probably just here for me. It's not like you did anything wrong."

Franklin meeped. Claire huffed out her building anxiety. "What?"

"I might... be in possession of... things that aren't mine."

"Stand down!" Colonel Placer, the ringleader, repeated. Zia bit her lip, eyeing the edge of the skimpy forest behind the gas station. Between it and them, was a propane tank...

"We don't have any weapons!" Owen was trying to reason. "Placer, listen-"

A warning shot cut him off. Zia sneaked a peek, watching her friends' feet- and Dr. Wu's go still. "Owen Grady and Franklin Webb, you're under arrest."

"I don't know what you've been hearing-" Dr. Wu decided to join in.

 _Six feet._ Zia argued with her tight, pounding heart, gauging from her hiding spot to the tank. _Six feet... take it!_

"My orders are my orders." Colonel Placer stated, just as a giant moan overshadowed any noise of Zia shuffling behind the propane tank. She looked back at the two army hummers and a semi hooked to a lowboy trailer. The stegosaurus strapped down on it let out a second moan. Zia let herself gape. _Our road hog from earlier._

"You want to worry about two civilians on top of a dinosaur." Claire pointed out.

"Did your orders come from Sergeant Terry?" Franklin mustered in, hands locked behind his head. "Ya'know that guy's MIA too-"

"Face the car!" a solider ordered. And they wouldn't ask again. Zia stayed low until she had her back to the brick of the station, safe in shadow. But she couldn't stay here. Zia looked down at her shoulder-strap purse. She'd modified it a few years ago with some stitching skills the Marine Corp gave her. It was now a half purse, half first-aid kit.

"My husband was lied to by Sergeant Terry," Claire was demanding the army men listen to her. If they knew what was good for them, they'd do it. Zia did a quick run of her supplies... then gave a slow grin. _Times like this I'm really glad I'm certified._

She zipped it up and stuck close to the wall, reaching the northeast corner. The forest offered her thin branches, but Zia kept her arc wide, step by cautious step, until she was a several yards up the road. She hunched down, clocking eight soldiers, including Colonel Placer. And despite an occasional glance back, no one was watching their six. Franklin had their attention for the moment, making feeble gestures at his laptop.

 _I'll take whatever distraction I can get._ Zia paused, listening to her own breath contain itself, playing out her future movements once she left her cover behind. She had an odd thought then... was this what a carnivore felt before it leapt out? Smelling its sweat, harboring control over a pounding heart... until just the right...

Zia skidded down the few feet and darted across the road, hitting the back of the lowboy trailer. She pushed her heart down from her throat, waiting for the boots to march out and surround her.

"He was keeping separate files when your whole purpose is to locate the dinosaurs." Claire was at full froth now. "Use your brain for half a second and ask yourself why! Why wouldn't he share this information?"

"You can ask him when we get to the base." Colonel Placer matched her frustration. "You're going to follow us-"

Zia hurried past the stegosaurus' tail, hand in and out of her purse as she came up on her shoulder. "Ok girl, flex that muscle for me."

She ran her hands below the shoulder plate, until the scales thinned and a vein revealed itself. Zia withdrew the syringe from her purse, uncapping it with her teeth. An emergency stash of pure adrenaline... all for Steggy here!

"Hey!" a soldier cried out as Zia jammed the thin needle between her scales. The stegosaurus shuttered and pulled away... really, _that_ hurt? Zia looked up at the two soldiers now trained on her. Instinct took over as the stegosaurus' head raised its head, eyes turning like pins. The straps across her neck and back raised with her. Kind of easy since Zia had unbuckled them on her end. She dove under the trailer, even while it teetered with the stegosaurus' weight. Shouts raised up as the army's attention was pulled toward the trailer and its escapee.

Zia crawled under, the asphalt scrapping through her jeans, throwing dust in her throat. The trailer wheels rocked with the stegosaurus' fight for freedom, but Zia didn't let it distract her. She cleared the trailer and ran, sensing the swing of the dino's spikes behind her.

Owen was on top of things, needing a second to twist Colonel Placer's gun out of his hands and knock him to the ground. Placer started to get up, but Owen cocked it. "We both know you've got better things to do."

The rest of the soldiers were focused on the raging stegosaurus now. Zia screamed as a soldier was flung past her, hitting the side of the semi a few feet from her. But she kept on, joining the others in making for their cars. Owen had Claire by the waist, passing her the gun as he took the driver's side. Zia soared across the hood of her car, remembering the keys on the console. "FRANKLIN!"

Franklin and Dr. Wu hopped in as Zia ignited her car awake. She peeled out, heading for the gap between the semi and the forefront hummer. Their guns flashed at the stegosaurus, adding to her confusion. The stegosaurus roared and charged another solider with her head. He flew back, hitting the side of Owen's car this time.

"Oh man." Franklin spoke for all of them, clutching his laptop like a life preserver. Following this, the gunfire increased; as did Franklin's tight expression. "I'm so over this! Shooting or dinosaur trampling. Neither is how I want to die!"

"You're not going to die!" Zia maintained speed so as not to lose Owen. As Zia passed, the stegosaurus whined in pain. She risked a look, as it stumbled to its knees. Her eyes now held panic and fear, multiple streaks of blood over its skin. Zia looked away, throat tightening.

Dr. Wu's heavy breathing cut in on the somber moment."I... can't believe..."

"You never seen one outside a lab?" Zia guessed, blocking the mistiness from her eyes. _C'mon, this' what needed to be done-_

"The hours and resources to build her DNA from the ground up." Dr. Wu leaned his head back. "They're not a wonder anymore, but a threat? People can be so irresponsible!"

Franklin twisted a glare on him. "And you can't?!"

Dr. Wu said nothing, only glared back. Zia kept her focus on the road ahead, Owen's car blazing the trail for them. But that look- and the gunfire- stayed with her as she sped them away.

 **}{}{}{}{**

 **Yeah, it was about time Zia got her own POV! Also, Blue's back!**

 **Having a blast writing this, hope you guys are having a blast reading. Lots of snow days right now, so I'll be quicker about writing the next few chapters. Let me know your thoughts, they're always welcome!**


	16. New Sides

Maisie didn't have much to work with. A card was the way in and out of each room; no locks to try and pick. Dr. Inger said she'd be back in, would that be her chance? Maisie had eyed the vents, quickly realizing they were too small. And she didn't know where they'd lead anyway.

"Keep thinking." Maisie encouraged herself, running her fingers along the edge of the nearby counter. Despite the cages, she was keeping it between her and the pterodactyl, who banged its head against the side. It was possibly hungry, clawing on the side nearest the compies. Maisie wanted to admire them, but she needed all her thinking power on how to get away from here. Or how to let Owen and Claire know where she was. Her eyes trailed from the hall and the preservation room. Where Dr. Inger had placed her samples. The things that would explain who she was. Maisie worked at the tape on her bandage, thinking about how Grandpa had praised her wit and courage.

 _I am brave._ Maisie gnawed her bottom lip. _And funny... but am I like that because of Gloria or because that's how I like being?_

Maisie looked around the room again, raising her chin above the doubts. She wanted Claire and Owen. She wanted the cabin and school... she wanted to find out who she was as a person. Not as a clone. She _was_ getting out of here.

Maisie righted out of her thoughts as the men wheeled Blue into the lab. Dr. Inger rushed past Maisie, grabbed a tray, and came back to take samples of Blue's DNA. Blue was strapped down, but no longer sedated. Her eyes widened and body tensed as Dr. Inger held up a scalpel. A wide, brown-leather muzzle prevented her from lashing out, but the guns stayed on her, intent on every movement. Except for the well-dressed man, who had yet to step inside the lab. He kept himself, cool and collected just outside the doors. Maisie only glanced at him, but his eyes moved at the same instant, piercing her in an all-knowing way. He smiled at her and nodded. Maisie looked away.

The compies and pterodactyl grew more restless at the scent of Blue's blood, teeth and claws scraping the bars and hoping to get past them. The men commented as Dr. Inger made her incisions; one with amusement, the others with awe. Maisie, likewise, was taken aback with the full-grown velociraptor in front of her. It was the baby from the video, only bigger. All muscles and claws, and the wicked, wide streak fo blue trailing from head to tail. And her breathing... so calm. Maisie matched the rise and fall of Blue's rough chest; how was she so calm?

"There we are." Dr. Inger rose breathless with a filled vial and a petri dish of Blue's thick skin. "Just a few scales and we can cage her."

"Like you'll cage me." Maisie suddenly snapped. Dr. Inger turned, samples in hand. "Maisie, that's not fair."

No, it wasn't. Maisie's face burned with all the adults staring at her. Then the tallest of the Russians laughed, resting his gun on his hip. "Your science experiment's talking back, doctor. MIT teach you how to handle that?"

"Kolov." the suit man ordered from his sentry position. Dr. Inger's chin contorted. "Yours and Blue's DNA were designed with the same technology, Maisie. It's important that we monitor both of your progresses." She looked back, ordering Maisie's silence before taking the samples inside the cold room. "You're too valuable to risk. If you were to get sick again-"

She shook her head, stroking Maisie's hair behind her ears. "People worked long and hard to make _you_ a reality. We're not going to let that go to waste."

Those words put a bad taste in Maisie's mouth as Dr. Inger turned back to Blue for the scales. She started when Blue tilted her head, distracting herself by speaking Russian with the Mr. Aldovich and the other men. It took Maisie a moment to realize that Blue's orange-gold eyes were now on her, watching, gauging her presence in the midst of this situation. Like, they were deciding what to do about her; when the time came. Did she recognize her from the manor? Maisie couldn't be sure, but she felt confidence in that gaze.

Scales procured, Dr. Inger stood up again. And Maisie saw it! Blue's outside claw pushing back and forth- fraying the leather strap that help her arms in her chest. The men backed off a few feet, watching Dr. Inger move to speak with the man at the door. "Mr. Gavrill-"

But Maisie just watched Blue saw away, her brain slowing before it sped forward. She had seen Blue sink her claws into the Indoraptor's skin like warm butter. What was a measly leather strap? Maisie stepped back, sensing the sudden urgency. She swallowed as she turned, making for the room Dr. Inger had indicated as hers.

"Maisie-" Dr. Inger started, but was cut off by a sudden thrashing.

"She's up!"

The other dinosaurs shook in their cages as voices and guns exploded. Maisie ran then, throwing herself through the door.

"Tranq her!"

Maisie only caught a glimpse as Blue leap on one of the men as she pulled the door shut. Raptor and man hit the counter, shattering beakers and binders across the floor. Thankfully the door muffled the screams that came next. The shouts of man and dinosaur folded over one another... shrieks of hunger... then screams of pain! Maisie clutched the doorknob, at a loss for anything else hearing the chaos through the door. Her heart pounded in her ears, fighting for a full breath as she tried to remember. _She'll remember me... Blue'll remember me..._

A few bullets fired, followed by a shout of 'Don't!' Then, it was quiet. A bump, two bumps, then quiet again. Maisie's hand slipped off the knob, covered in sweat. Was that clicking? The faint taps off the end of a raptor claw... and they were getting louder. Closer. The air vacuumed out of Maisie's throat and she couldn't remember to pull more in. _Tap, tap... tap, tap..._

Maisie eyed the room between the cot and the desk. What did she hope to find? But the door only locked from the outside; she couldn't just stand here!

 _Tap, tap..._

The cot had sheets and a pillow and the desk only had a clipboard. Dr. Inger must've left it there at some point. A clipboard and a- Maisie yelped at the spring of the doorknob releasing. It was turning! And she knew... it wasn't a human on the other side. She backed up to the desk, pulling the chair in front of her. She also grabbed at the clipboard, only to still at the muzzled snout that came sniffing through the door. It was followed by Blue's proud head and arched neck. The animal panted and blood dripped daintily from her claws. Maisie became a statue as Blue put her eyes on her, turned her head, then her body. Legs shaking, Maisie somehow squeezed her right hand... and clicked the pen three times.

Blue cocked her head, body half crouched and half curious. Maisie held the pen tighter, clicked it thrice again. It was the signal for _stand down._

Blue's breathing came labored through the muzzle as girl and dinosaur stared at each other. Blue then backed up a step, swaying toward the cot. An eye still on Maisie, she began to rub her muzzle against the frame. She was trying to get it off. Maisie swallowed. "She shows empathy, intelligence, compliance... empathy."

Remembering Owen's words helped her shaking to lessen, even if just a little. Was Blue empathetic right now? Was she remembering Owen's commands? Maisie eyed the muzzle, then Blue's introspective eye. "You... want it off?"

Blue raised from the cot, slight hissing sounding from her throat. Her head dipped... almost in a nod! Maisie noticed two buckles along the side of the muzzle now. _Am I really thinking..._

Maisie curled her free hand in, protective of her fingers. Yet, they had a common goal; they wanted out of here. Blue knew that, so why had she followed Maisie, rather then run through the doors? Maisie blew out her breath and made her legs sturdy, readying herself. She signaled _stand down_ a third time with the pen, stepping around the chair. Blue sensed the difference in height and lowered her head. Her eyes were focused, intent on Maisie as she lifted her hand.

Maisie was shocked with the first feel of the scales. How many times had she imagined this, played it out in the display room? Her imaginings had never held terror and wonder in the same breath, which Maisie was holding as she undid the buckles. It took a minute, but the muzzle slipped off and Maisie pulled back as Blue shook her head, stepping back to the door. Their eyes met again, before Blue nudged the door open again. She paused, gave an eager chirp, then walked back into the lab. Maisie- pen clutched vitally- followed after a moment of panicked deliberation. Really, what other choice did she have?

Two of the men lay dead, their blood pooling on the floor of the lab. The compies were going crazy, clawing through and under the bars for a single scrap of the fresh meat they smelled. Maisie didn't look directly, even as Blue nudged around one of them. She looked to the hallway, findng it empty. Where was Dr. Inger and the man in the suit?

 _The card._ Maisie's mind suddenly realized. _A card for the door!_

"Blue-" Maisie turned back to the raptor to see her yanked at the hip of the dead man. Maisie gulped, wondering if Blue was really going to eat- but Blue raised her head then, expelling something from her mouth. It flipped and landed by Maisie's feet. Slimy and smudged pink with blood, Maisie still recognized it as a keycard. The card that would get them out! Maisie looked up in amazement. Blue hunched her neck, teeth bared slightly. Startled, Maisie clicked the pen again. _Stand down!_

Blue recognized it and it clearly confused her. Nonetheless, she knew what that key was for. Maisie steeled herself, picking up the keycard. "E-Eyes on me."

Blue looked past Maisie's hand and eyeballed her; like _You're kidding me, right?_

"If Owen can do it, so can I." Maisie reasoned aloud. She couldn't hesitate; they were both fighting to survive! She sidestepped to the door, hand kept out between her and Blue. The raptor's eyes stayed with her, eagerness rising as she tried the card against the door. The bolts snapped and the panel slid back-

"Maisie!"

Girl and raptor started, Maisie's head jerking toward the intercom. Dr. Inger's voice came through again. "Maisie, don't move!"

Blue growled and Maisie spotted the elevator opening at the end of the hall. Her head throbbed with the onslaught of adrenaline. Someone was stepping out as Blue darted up from behind. Maisie moved into the hallway- then aside as Blue bolted through to attack.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Dr. Wu had agreed to get them to the InGen building. The objective gave Owen focus, thus some of his waning energy back. He preferred that focus to worrying about Maisie. Where she was, what she might be going through... He simply blocked those thoughts and drove. Zia stayed on their tail with the promise to call when they were close. He had until then to make a plan. A plan that didn't get them cornered or killed.

He glimpsed at Claire again. She'd stopped shaking from when the stegosaurus had flung a guy against the car, leaving the sickening thud of flesh against metal ringing in their ears. She now watched the trees pass and the mountains rise between them, a knee tucked under her chin. Her usual cover of control was nowhere; the immoveable Claire Dearing, as people were used to seeing her, was breaking at the seams. On top of everything else, Owen wanted to help her rein it back together. But she needed to talk for that.

As though on cue, Claire swallowed. Or, made a noise that sembled a laugh. Owen raised a brow. "Something funny?"

"Yeah, life." Claire declared, pushing her foot down and her palms into her eyes. "The way it pushes and pushes..." she looked over at him, eyes and cheeks red, but dry. "I used to make sure that no one could get anything past me. And it's happened twice now, Owen. I can't accept that."

"Can't accept that you made a mistake?" Owen guessed. Claire's jaw rotated in growing anger. "That I made them so easily."

"We still don't have any clear answers about this Dr. Inger." Owen had to admit; though his gut had him convinced of it. He watched the road as it rushed them, then disappeared under the car. "And Mills... he got us both."

"I didn't make mistakes when it was all business. I towed the line." Claire compartmentalized with her hands, lying out her career in front of them. "I got it done and it was efficient... and I sacrificed way too much of myself." She dropped her hands. "I've been trying to get it back, make up for it. But I obviously don't fit into it the way I used to."

Owen heard her. She was stuck between two versions of herself. He'd been there, transitioning from solider to civilian... a raptor trainer, but still a civilian. In the end, you had to pick a side. Whats more, you needed to stick by it, otherwise you were just lost.

"Senator Sherwood wants to merge the DPG's mission with InGen." whooshed out Claire's next words. Owen adjusted his hands on the wheel. _They're going to need a new HQ._

"My employees would have jobs," Claire went on. " _We'd_ both have jobs. And I'd be the CEO."

 _Oh boy._ Would that mean renaming the company, rebranding its mission entirely? Claire would want to be on-site, hands-on at every turn. Would that mean moving? Ugh, any more questions and his brain would start smoking. Still, any distraction from dwelling on Maisie was better then none. "Well... how's that going to work?"

"It can if we try."

Owen shook his head. "Why would we?"

Claire stared at him in disbelief. "Owen, it would be our chance to fix everything."

"We're helping 'corralling' the dinosaurs." Owen pointed out, even while their 'assistance' had been minimal. Terry's comment about Lockwood's sanctuary crossed his mind, but he shut it down. It needed to end here; and never come back. But of course, Claire wasn't seeing it that way. She was leaning intently over the console now. "And after that" Do we really want to act like this won't follow us for the rest of our lives?"

"Only if we let it." Owen stated.

She gave a heavy sigh that shifted her bangs. "Owen-"

"No, Claire," Owen stopped her, annoyed at this repetitive argument. "Is this _really_ what we're discussing?"

"If I'm to keep my sanity in tack, yeah!" Claire's cheeks reddened again, but her tears were gone. It was just her fire now; the fire to act. He was in trouble now and he could do was sigh back. "You know how I feel."

"Well aware." Claire shrugged back into her seat. "But I can't just shrug this off as the world's problem and bury myself in nails and wood chips."

She made him sound like a chipmunk and Owen had to snort. "And we're back to that."

"Because that's where you keep running."

"Because I'm done with it!" Owen shouted without meaning to. The car fell silent, his bandage seeping with the grip he kept on the wheel. Owen released it, trying to get himself to breathe with the wound. "I joined IBRIS because I was ready to leave the Navy. You know that... I was done having my actions defined by violence. I couldn't see the reason for it anymore. I still don't, but I still find myself in the thick of it..." He eyed the rearview mirror as Zia's headlights flicked on."Every time."

They rumbled along a second more, no doubt considering the situation before them. Owen knew his resolve, knew that he _would_ kill if it meant getting Maisie back. But he didn't look forward to it. Claire cleared her throat. "I get that. But, maybe it's because you're the right person for it."

Owen eyed her suspiciously as she watched back out the window. "You're... unshakable, Owen. You know your convictions and you stick with them. Even when people say you're wrong."

"Paying me a _compliment?_ " Owen drew out. "How's that feel?"

Claire rolled her eyes, blowing her breath against the glass. "My head's been spinning for so long, trying to find out what my ethics are. I think I have the definition one minute- then it changes." Her head leaned back, like she wanted to fold back into herself. "As long as the park ran smoothly, made steady money, I didn't care. You at least cared."

"You care now." Owen told her, unwilling to think her head was this thick. "You think that these three years have gone unnoticed? You're wiser now and that's why Sherwood's even offering this to you. So, forgive yourself already."

Claire's eyes, glassy and green, looked him over. "I _want_ to use an opportunity like this, Owen. And, they want _us._ "

"So?"

"So," Claire righted herself, the vulnerability retreating again. "Maybe I don't want to do this without you."

Owen wavered at that. Where was all this reliance coming from? An alert from Claire's phone came over his contemplation, but he soon picked up on Claire's tension as she read the text. "We're ten minutes from the compound. Henry says to take a lane to the left."

Owen sharpened his eyes for it, hand reaching for Claire's. She clasped it, eyes equally alert through the windshield. He breathed out as he spotted the lane; the breath he always took before a battle. "Talk later?"

"You bet." Claire squeezed above his bandage. "You're not dodging this so easily."

Owen laughed. It was half-hearted, but it was all he could do as they turned and travelled down the rocky dirt lane.


	17. New Meaning

There were few trees around, only enough along the slow hump of a ridge to hide their cars. Wind howled from over the ridge, adding to the ominous tone Owen already felt looking it over. The rifle and scope had been left in Zia's car but thankfully he hadn't had to ask her to bring it out. Owen followed the line of the ridge; it'd be their best bet of getting any closer.

"What's the plan?" Zia spoke up first, eyes shining in eagerness. Dr. Wu continued to stretch his legs from the drive. "Yes, I'm dying to hear it."

Owen's patience continued to wear thin with this guy. "Franklin, come with me. Zia, he gives you trouble-"

"Shoot him." Zia gave a merry salute. "Aye aye."

Owen nodded at Franklin to follow him. The kid didn't hesitate, though he stumbled every third step at not much of an incline. Owen steered them to a clump of trees and bushes. They were on the cracked edge of Death Valley and lucky to find that much. The InGen facility rested on a salty bed with even less vegetation. It was barely a footnote of a building with a parking lot and electrical shed out back. Knowing InGen, most of their square footage would be found underground; any labs built beneath to forego the valley's sweltering heat. Another advantage they had with dusk getting closer and closer. Owen found his rhythm of breathing, staring down the scope of the rifle at the three cars and van idling in the lot. "That's Gavrill's entourage."

Franklin was at a loss. "Sergeant Terry's car too." He glanced at Owen, voice low in uncertainty. "This means... what?"

Owen gauged the cars as he thought. "You found separate files that Terry was keeping. He share them with anybody?"

Franklin thought a moment. "A strip of code showed he sent them to one other computer." His eyebrows raised over his glasses. "You thinking these guys?"

Owen nodded, checking what few power lines ran from the building to the shed. Still nothing that could confirm Maisie's whereabouts-

Franklin coughed into his sleeve. "If... if we're going on coincidences here and Blue was the intended target, he couldn't get to her alone."

"They couldn't get to her, period." Owen grunted; then tilted his head. "My clothes."

"What?" Franklin eyed the army drags Owen still wore.

"They took my clothes!" Owen scooted back, leaving a flustered Franklin to crawl with him. "Knowing where Blue was, they closed in on her with _my_ scent."

He was so frustrated with the all the aces that they weren't holding! "Say Dr. Inger, Terry, and the Russians are in there. Why? Why would they need Blue and Maisie both?"

Franklin paused, then charged back down to the cars. "I know."

 _Okay._ Owen hastened after him, curious. Claire looked up expectantly, but Franklin continued to Zia's car, pulling his laptop through the window. "I told Colonel Placer that Terry's been tracking Blue's movements and that's true." He gestured Owen over, Zia and Dr. Wu already crowding in. "When I first downloaded them though, I realized why and just... haven't had a chance to share them yet."

"Of course he's going after the raptor." Dr. Wu sighed. "She's the last of her kind, a highly valuable behavioral specimen-"

"We know!" Franklin snapped at him. "But everyone's been waiting to see proof of it."

"Blue showed intelligence from an early age." Claire stated. "InGen put spotlights on her from the beginning."

"We needed a little more then her performing parlor tricks for rats." Dr. Wu put in with an eye flicker at Owen.

"Here." Franklin clicked one of the many URLs he'd brought up. A gray-scale video popped up and started playing. It showed two elderly people roughly pushed onto a patio by a third figure. The couple, likely the homeowners, were made to get down on their knees.

"What is this?" Claire looked at Franklin; and missed the blur that knocked the third person out of the frame. Owen's breath caught at the heavy scaled tail waving to and fro as the attacker made its kill. "That's Blue."

Franklin nodded. Transfixed, they watched the feed show Blue leave, trail back to the patio, where the homeowners still trembled. She hovered on them a moment, cocked her head, then darted away. Owen wasn't given the chance to process it as Franklin opened another video. " _That_ was from a home security system six days ago. This was the next sighting, one town over."

This was a daytime shot of a residential street, a few cars parallel parked. A woman was putting her child in the back of one, buckling them up. Blue jumped out of nowhere, screeching form the roof of the car. The mother reeled back onto the sidewalk, where she froze, terrified. Claire's own breath hitched as Blue eyed inside the car, where the kid was no doubt crying. Blue looked back at the mom, back in the car. Then she squeaked again and ran off.

"I get the feeling I'm missing something." Zia said as the video ended.

"For once," Franklin threw out, closing the videos. "I've got twenty more, showing Blue's _discernment_ in what she eats, who she interacts with."

"Something none of the other dinosaurs are doing." Owen finished for him. "They see food or a threat, they eat it."

Dr. Wu stepped back, his mind traveling somewhere beyond their conversation. "That's where the girl comes in."

"What?" Claire looked past Franklin, her shock still with the video. Dr. Wu hesitated, a glance going over his shoulder at the building. "This needs to be discussed with-"

Zia moved with Owen, blocking his path to the facility. "We can discuss it here."

Dr. Wu shook his head. "Like you could understand any of it. All you people want to do is take what Hammond and Lockwood created and sweep it under the rug!"

"Back on the merry-go-round." Zia muttered, leaning back on her heels. Dr. Wu held up a hand. "Hear me out. Dr. Inger's actions are indeed short-sighted. Hammond's falling out with Lockwood happened before my time, but it's obvious his research continued. If great minds do think alike, there must be overlaps, in the steps he took to create Maisie, and the steps Hammond took to create dinosaurs."

Claire paled, leaning on the hood of the car, while Owen refused to be phased by the thoughts assaulting him. Dr. Wu, on the other hand, wasn't phased at all. "Dr. Inger- any reasonable scientist- can't ignore such a feat. She would need samples from both streams of research to compare them."

"To what end?" Owen threw in. "Even Hammond wouldn't touch human cloning. The man was rich and stupid, but he knew the limits. And respected them."

"And Lockwood dared to think beyond them," Dr. Wu enunciated. "The new frontier he's opened..." he eyes glowed in an admiration that put Owen on edge. "We're insulting ourselves to ignore such progress."

"Maisie never asked to be that progress." Owen's hand flexed over the rifle. He had them out here arguing when she was just yards away! "You may be able to explain away the exploitation of these animals, but she's a living, breathing, human girl. She'll make her own choices about how she wants to do this."

Dr. Wu fought to keep his bearings under Owen's glare. He glanced over to Claire. "You'd waste _years_ of advancement until _she's_ ready? You're willing to be that selfish?"

A low rumble jerked them out of the conversation. Owen caught a few birds taking flight beyond the lone structure. In the next second, nothing moved or breathed. Another rumble followed. Then voices spilled out from the building. Owen grabbed Dr. Wu, making him duck with the rest of them behind the cars. Owen leveled the rifle again and watched around the fender. His Russian pals were outside, looking in the direction of the rumbles. Kolov and Aldovich.

"The t-rex." Claire needlessly said. Owen hmmed in reply.

"Colonel Placer mentioned they were ending their battle with it tonight." Franklin hissed from where he hunkered- and shivered. "If they're tracking that thing-"

"We might have some back up." Owen finished, watching Aldovich order Kolov inside. Kolov then commensed pacing on the other side of the door. "Or a distraction at least."

"Maybe we make it two." Zia joined the whispering. "That shed...Franklin can mess with their system, like at the mansion."

Franklin huffed. "Assuming I can find what signal they're using."

"You've been combing every IP in this state for a week." Owen pointed out, lowering the rifle as they stood up. Franklin pinched his nose. "You really think it's that simple?"

That was enough for Claire, new life jumping into her eyes. "Get on it. I'll text you when we have Maisie."

Owen wheeled on her. "No."

"Owen," Claire marched past Dr. Wu. "I've spoken to this woman for two years-"

"Claire, I'm not putting you between a mad scientist and trigger-happy Russians."

Dr. Wu rubbed his eyes with disbelief. "Has it occurred to either of you-"

"No." Owen and Claire cut him off. They stared off, Claire raising an inch in her tennis shoes. "You really think you'll change my mind?"

Owen shrugged. "I like to think I have some influence."

"Okay," Zia broke into their off-beat flirting. "But let's at least be smart about it." She switched out Owen's rifle with her .45 sidearm. "You cover the sprint, I'll cover the marathon."

Owen checked it, nodding. Given the hornet's nest they were stepping into, it wouldn't hurt. He pointed Zia to the bushes from before, then laid in the back of his car. With Dr. Wu and Claire in the front, Owen signaled Wu to make for the building. They were expecting him, that'd buy him three seconds of surprise. His heart, taught like a spring, counted the rotations of the tires until Wu stopped. Sure enough, Kolov stepped out and up to the car. "Who's-"

Owen imagined the shot seamlessly leaving the rifle, timing Kolov's fall perfectly. He kicked the car door open and was up, weapon sighted on the Russian's chest. His left shoulder bled from the rotator cuff, but he still went for his gun. Owen stepped on it, an eye on the front doors. "Any of your ugly friends inside?"

Kolov just laughed. "Enough to kill you and the little woman."

"Get up." Owen ordered, Wu and Claire out of the car. Kolov continued to look amused, shuffling up from the dirt. He looked toward the ridge. "In my country, it's good manners to know who shots who."

"Interlock your fingers." Owen went on. He pushed Kolov forward, checking the door before going into an office space that went out in the nineties. Claire and Dr. Wu followed, clearing his throat. "Is a Dr. Patrice Inger here?"

Kolov started whistling. Owen kept his barrel on him as Claire darted around the desks. "There's an elevator; it needs a keycard!"

Dr. Wu beat Owen to checking Kolov's belt, finding a sleek, silver card. He walked it over and Kolov took advantage of the space. "You, how do you say, got the drop on me, huh?"

"One wrong move and your right shoulder matches your left." Owen promised. He moved him up against the wall. "What floor are they on?"

"You here for that little girl?"

 _Don't react._ Owen told himself, even while his finger whitened on the trigger.

"We're here to _talk_ to Dr. Inger." Dr. Wu tried again. "I'm not with them, I simply _fell_ into their company."

Claire grabbed the keycard from him and swiped it, starting the rush of the elevator.

"Doc was looking forward to slicing her up." Kolov's smile turned vile. "Too bad she can't."

Claire turned as the doors opened. "Why!?"

"Slippery little thing ran away."

 **}{}{}{}{**

There were no roads, no trails. Just bushes, rocks, and slopes. Maisie scrambled over all of them, putting distance between her and the facility. She sensed Blue's restlessness and knew she was going too slow. The raptor kept several feet ahead; she didn't help Maisie, but she wasn't abandoning her either.

 _She doesn't seem to know what to do._ Maisie looked at Blue as she leaned on a rock. She held herself against the cool, shadowed side, trying not to feel so weak and small against it. She was tired and the pressure in her head was back. And was her body getting heavier? _I'm tired, I'm thirsty... but I have a raptor and a pen._

"Maybe... I jumped the gun on this, huh?" Maisie admitted to Blue. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, watching Blue's nose lift into the wind. Was she really this close to a dinosaur again? An eerie reverse, as Blue was killing other people and not her. Maisie closed her eyes to forget the insane jump where Blue had taken down the man who'd tried to stop them.

 _"Maisie, don't!"_ _Dr. Inger's voice had continued through the PA system. "There's nothing for miles! You're sick-"_

Maisie hadn't cared, getting her and Blue out the back door. The sun had blinded her at first, but she had followed Blue since. Maisie raised her head, knowing she needed to get up and keep moving. _I'll get out of these mountains and there will be a road. Somewhere._

Blue stopped her planning as she backed up, teeth bared. She growled softly. Maisie tensed, expecting one of the men to suddenly appear. Instead, the ground shook, sitting her back by the rock. Another followed, and something moved up the slope toward them. Maisie's throat closed. The tyrannosaurus rex! It... was here? Blue backed up to the other side of the boulder and stayed there, her eyes and chirps weary as the t-rex ascended toward them. Likewise, Maisie pressed into the grainy rock and fought the urge to run, scream, make any motion. The t-rex lumbered closer, jolting her body to where the rock scraped into her back. Maisie swallowed and closed her eyes against the panic welling through her stomach and into her throat. The stomps came closer, heavier. Until they shuddered through every sound the land might otherwise make.

Then came the roar! Maisie's eyes popped open as it vibrated through her brain. Her palms smacked over her ears, but the drone still bore down on her, stealing her breath. She began to think it wouldn't end, but it finally eased off. Maisie's ear buzzed as she looked up the brown, three-toed foot only a yard from her. It moved, sending another earthquake across the ground. Maisie eyed the paler underbelly, the t-rex's small, folded arms, and its thick neck. Her gaze rested on the deep jaws, until the t-rex moved its head. Even from so far down, Maisie caught the amber of its eye, searching... for food?

The t-rex didn't linger, rather continued in the direction Maisie and Blue had just come from. Maisie stayed still and quiet, until the massive predator had disappeared and there was only the echo of its feet. Maisie looked over as Blue rose, head erect. Maisie searched for the same motivation to pull herself up. But her legs were so weak...

She looked up and started, finding Blue practically next to her. Maisie remained weary. Unlike the Indoraptor, Blue didn't have that menacing feel about her.. but she was still a dinosaur. Instinct was one of Owen's favorite words, and he'd told her all the DNA coding in the world couldn't erase what came naturally to creatures like Blue. Maisie held eye contact, her pen at the ready. Blue watched her, lowering her head to take a whiff of Maisie's scent. Could she tell that Maisie was sick? Maisie matched her breathing to the rise and fall of Blue's nostrils. _"Watch what happens... I show any sign of weakness."_

Maisie moved her hand, inch by inch through the dusty air. Blue barked and darted off then, leaping over a bush perpendicular to their rock.

"Blue!" Maisie pulled her hand back, freaked that it hadn't been bitten off! She waited, then cringed at the sand that flew up and the squeal as an animal died beyond the bush. She looked away, putting her mind on the sky darkening overhead. The land had been hills up to this point, but it was widening... into a valley maybe? She didn't want to get farther out, where there'd be no roads, or shade. Through heavy eyelids, her raised her thumb to the disappearing sun. "West."

Blue reappeared then, following the line of Maisie's arm. Maisie got up so she could look out behind her. "East."

Oddly enough, this was calming her. Maisie moved her arm 90 degrees. "North."

She was about to name south, when a gleam caught her eye. A light? Maisie pushed off the rock, moving a few feet closer. She cupped her hands around her eyes. It was! Strength returned to her legs and Maisie clicked once, then twice. _Come._

Blue stayed behind Maisie as she made for the light. It grew closer and Maisie could make out shapes... tents! In her excitement, Maisie missed the ground flattening out and she stumbled down an embankment. Her jeans ripped at the knee and Maisie bit her lip at the sting. She pushed herself up, wiping at her palms. The wind blew, bringing an interesting smell. Salt?

 _A salt pan._ Maisie realized. She'd read about them in geography. Head pounding, Maisie got up, now seeing that the light was actually several, outlining a circle of tents. She could make out people moving between them and her hope grew. They'd have a phone! She could call Claire!

"Blue." Maisie looked back to see the raptor lingering at the top of the embankment. Maisie clicked the pen. _Come._

Blue didn't. She squawked, taking a step back.

"C'mon." Maisie urged. "It'll be okay."

Blue took off into the hills, vanishing faster then Maisie could realize. The wind picked up again, drumming in her loneliness. Maisie stayed frozen another second... waiting for Blue to come back?

 _She won't._ Maisie knew and pushed herself toward the tents.


	18. New Damage

**Lots of fabulous reviews, so I wanted to say 'thank you' :) :) :) . Nice to know I'm doing the site and the story justice. Now, sit tight and don't blink for this one 'cuse a LOT happens!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Maisie... in the desert... Claire wanted to process that as something other then it implied. Only Kolov took advantage of that second, snapping the crown of his head into Owen's face. Claire started as they tumbled backward, Owen's hand pulling Kolov down with him so he couldn't have the gun. "Owen!"

"Get him!" Owen waved wildly at her. Claire then realized that Dr. Wu had the elevator doors open. And was trying to close them. Claire jumped through, catching his hand with the card. "Henry-"

"I came here with a goal!" Henry pushed her back, ramming a button. "Don't think you're going to keep me from it."

Claire's ears stemmed as her fist jabbed him across the chin. He hit the wall as the doors clamped shut, pure shock over his face. "Is brute force all you people believe in!"

Claire steadied herself with the whoosh of gravity, pulling them below the building. "What're you planning to do once you're down there?"

"Establish whatever reason and order might be left in this whole mess."

"It isn't about order Henry, it's about a child's future." Claire insisted. "You can't justify-"

"I've had to fight my whole life to justify what I'm doing!" Dr. Wu's face broke in the most emotion she'd ever seen from him. "What can't I make anyone understand that, much less appreciate it? Years of my life, hours in a lab, sacrifices all for an inch closer to the impossible. And everyone simply wants it forgotten!"

"No one's forgetting, Henry." Claire sighed at him. "But how will people remember it?"

Any haughty answer was cut off with the release of the elevator doors. Claire looked out. The low lighting and sophisticated hallway was betrayed by the strong scent of blood. Claire hesitiated, but followed it out... at the same time Dr. Inger came through some automatic doors. Behind her came a man in a pressed suit and angered face. And...

"Mr. Aldovich." Claire spoke without thinking. A gun was out from Aldovich's coat as Dr. Inger gaped at Claire. "Mrs... Grady. Dr. Wu!"

"Out." Mr. Aldovich commanded. Henry stepped out slowly, letting the elevator swipe off their escape. Claire risked a look through the glass wall, finding a lab. It was a mess and where the deathly scent was coming from. No... Claire saw trails of maroon up the hallway; they stopped a few feet from her toes. _What_ had stopped them? She raised her head in slow realization, getting a second look at the cages within the glass. Claire saw a five-pack of compsognathus and a juvenile pterodactyl. And she saw what they were eating!

"Mrs. Grady." the man in the suit broke into her sights. He took pains to step around the crusting blood, extending a hand to Claire. "I'm Kassian Gavrill."

That name snapped Claire back into focus; and anger! She eyed Gavrill hard, his face, clothes, and usually calm countenance. "My husband filled me in."

Gavrill glanced at the elevator, then nodded. "Attending to Kolov, then?" Claire's silence answered him and he chuckled. "He'll enjoy that."

 **}{}{}{}{**

Franklin whined at the third firewall he hit as he hacked away at cyberspace. He wanted to be ready and in control when Claire gave the go ahead, but the system was more sophisticated then expected. Was this Dr. Inger a computer whiz too?!

"Would you have better chances at the shed?" Zia suggested through his phone speaker. She remained hidden with the rifle on the ridge, but Franklin had called her for the sake of human contact. He was learning more and more then he didn't like going solo. Franklin shook his head. "We want to control the system, not shut it down. If I can trick it into thinking I'm a regular login-"

He yelped as the earth rattled beneath the car, catching his laptop before it fell from his lap. He massaged his eyes. _Don't look. Just don't... don't look..._

But he did, through the backseat window. With another jump, the monstrous outline of the t-rex showed itself, only a few dino steps behind the InGen building.

"Zia-" Franklin shakily brought his phone up.

"Just keep doing what you're doing." Zia reassured him. "Stay calm and still... oh no."

 **}{}{}{}{**

The bullet grazed Owen's ear, shattering the window behind him. His skin screamed at the heat, but he kept his hand over Kolov's, desperate to get the gun away from him. Rather then slow him down, the shot shoulder and bum knee had made Kolov angrier and more determined to kill! Seeing his eyes, Owen again saw the hunger and bloodlust he'd spotted in the Indoraptor. Only Kolov hadn't been programmed for destruction; he liked it. His analysis was broken by Kolov's fist hooking him, getting Owen to loosen on the gun. Kolov had him by the shirt then, flinging him into the nearest desk. Owen grabbed the edge, keeping himself from falling.

"Inger's got big plans for your little lab rat." Kolov's sick smile returned.

"Don't talk about Maisie like that." Owen growled, ignoring the pain pinching his spine. Kolov raised his brow. "Ha, you think saying her name's gonna make my heart bleed, American?"

 _No, just the rest of you._ Owen locked eyes on Kolov; and the door behind him. With a mad grunt, Owen got him in a bear hug that propelled them back. This force cracked Kolov's skull against the door jamb and tumbled them both out onto the sidewalk. Owen rolled away to ready himself for the next assault- only to freeze. Dust blew up and the cars shivered with the fall of the t-rex's left foot. Heart stalling, Owen looked up- right as the t-rex turned its head and saw them.

Owen, on his hands and knees, checked his peripheral for Kolov. Who was already scurrying back inside. At this, the t-rex roared, diving forward. Owen was up, barely making it back inside before the large, wet nose broke the door and the jaws caved a hole through the cement and ceiling. Owen covered his head and dared an awed look back. The t-rex wriggled viciously to widen the hole, desperate for the food it knew was there. Trouping a dry valley for days, barely any animals or water to gulp... it had to be starving!

Owen scrambled under a corner desk, only to have Kolov grab his ankle. "Not running away now are you?"

 _What_ was this guy's problem?! Owen kicked out. "Get down... and stay still."

The t-rex's massive breath filled the room, carrying its smell with it. Concrete and tile heaped about. Remaining lights flickered, lose wires sparking against the dinosaur's tough scales. Its chin bore down, snapping the desk in front of Owen and Kolov like kindling. Owen swallowed, forcing himself still, while Kolov seem fueled by their situation. He suckered punched Owen's clawed ribs. "Never seen a feeding up close."

Owen curled in at the biting pain, giving Kolov enough leverage to yank him up in a choke hold. The muscles tightened against Owen's windpipe and Kolov drew them closer as the t-rex's head swung side to side again. Owen dug his heels in, fighting to stay awake. Kolov whooped, gaining the t-rex's attention. "Been waiting for this. Doubt you'll taste as good as your wife though."

Heat flamed through Owen's body and he twisted himself, getting his own hold on Kolov's neck. He ducked and rolled, bringing the crazy Russian with him under the hulking neck of the t-rex. Owen got a firm handful of Kolov's hair and slammed his head into his knee. They separated as the t-rex raised its head again. Debris hit Owen across the shoulders and back, but he still managed to get back outside as the t-rex closed its jaws around Kolov. Bones crunched, blood splattering Owen across his arms and neck. Thankfully though, the screams were only a few seconds long.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Maisie kept her arms wrapped around her stomach, telling herself it was almost over. She had baffled the soldiers by stumbling into their army camp, but they now had her sitting in the medic tent. A check-up from Private Seaver confirmed that her temperature was back and a water bottle was combating her dehydration. A lot of questions were asked when Private Seaver looked at the wound on her forearm. _"The skin was removed... professionally."_

 _"A woman did it." Maisie had rushed in. "I... got scrapped by one of the dinosaurs. She said she needed it for research."_

That was as much of a lie as she could muster. Truth be told, Maisie didn't even know if she wanted to lie. Dr. Inger and the men ought to go to jail for kidnapping her... but then, the reason for her kidnapping would come out. Maisie held on to this inner turmoil, nibbling on a trail mix of dried fruit and nuts; the protein only reminded her of how weak the cold had made her body. Maisie turned her pen through her fingers again, thinking on the syringe and bottles Dr. Inger had explained at the lab. But how could that be any different from the medicine at the hospital?

"Look what I found."

Maisie looked up to see Private Seaver. Her curly blonde hair bounced as she knelt down, holding a humungous sat phone in front of her. "This baby'll get through to anywhere in the world. You can contact your folks no problem."

"Thank you!" Maisie exclaimed, aches and weakness forgotten as she grabbed it. She slipped the pen into her pocket, eager to dial.

"Placer's company is approaching!" Someone yelled through the tent's front flap. "They've got wounded!"

Private Seaver shot up, worry arching her thin eyebrows. "Wounded!? How?"

"That creature got loose somehow."

Private Seaver didn't blink, but took Maisie's hand. She lead them out the back, caught Maisie's eye, and pointed to the tent straight across. "Maisie, wait there for me. And don't call until someone's with you."

Maisie's heart dropped. "But-"

"I know," Private Seaver squeezed her shoulder, eyes showing remorse. "Just be patient. We'll get you home soon."

A commotion erupted at the front of the medic tent and Seaver disappeared back inside. Maisie stared down at the phone, itching to punch out Claire or Owen's number. She held her head up, fighting tears of exhaustion, frustration, and loneliness. She realized then that the tent flap hadn't closed all the way. And Maisie couldn't miss the men being carried in. Once on the cots their vests were ripped off, dropped to the floor to soak in the blood that dripped down. Masked, Private Seaver was attending the first victim with two fellow medics.

"A stegosaurus did this?" One of them gagged.

"He got in the way of its tail." Private Seaver's warm tone was hard and dry as she worked. "His lung collapsed! I need doxycycline and get an IV going-"

The flap closed, muffling the voices. Maisie backed away, hugging the phone. She warned herself not to throw up, focusing on the short walk to the tent Priavte Seaver had indicated. It was deserted, all the able bodies out helping whoever had just pulled in. Something rattled, then moaned beyond the nylon wall... Maisie then realized this was the tent closest to the cages.

Private Seaver had told her this was the location decided for the dinosaurs' 'extermination' as she put it. They had a triceratops and her baby, an allosaurus, and...

 _A stegosaurus._ Maisie put it together. She wondered to a chair opposite the cage wall, feeling sick. Pressure was nagging at her temples and she just wanted to close her eyes-

The flap flew back, startling Maisie as a solider stomped in. Helmet unstrapped, he flung it across the room. Hair clumped and sweaty, he leaned on a card table, taking deep breaths. Maisie stayed still, hoping he didn't notice her. He did.

"The heck you come from?" he blurted out, perplexed. Maisie shrugged. "The desert. I... I was lost."

He assessed her with precise eyes, then relaxed, going for his helmet. "Sorry to scare you."

Maisie eased back in her chair. "You're upset."

The solider snorted. "Perceptive. It's been a long day..." he put his helmet on the table. "Long week." Then saluted at her. "Colonel Placer."

"Maisie-"

The allosaurus gave a shrill cry, cutting her off. Colonel Placer glared in their direction, his disgust clear. "Don't worry, they're caged. Not dead yet, unfortunately. Were you running from them?"

 _He hates them._ Maisie saw. A tail clamored the cage bars and she cleared her throat. "Yes and no. You probably wouldn't believe me."

Placer laughed dryly. "Dinosaurs are alive, Maisie. I might as well believe anything... hey, you ok?"

Maisie righted herself from tilting in her chair. She was so tired. "I want to go home."

Her plea worked and Colonel Placer backed off, grinning. "We'll see what we can do."

Maisie's eyes closed before he was gone, relieved at not having to focus. She had forced herself to stay alert since running away from Dr. Inger. Like staying awake til midnight on your first New Year's; or so she'd told herself while following Blue. Maisie remembered that, obsessing over the clock in the family room, bouncing on the couch to prove she wasn't sleepy. She'd been four and Iris carried her to bed at 10:55. Grandpa had come along at some point to carry her the rest of the way.

That was Maisie's first real memory; she would always remember the change in arms. From firm and sturdy to tender and cautious. Like Grandpa feared dropping her. Was that why he always acted so gentle with her? Dr. Inger treated her like that, but it wasn't the same. Like a doll she needed kept perfect for display. Maisie pulled her arm to her chest, feeling the new gauze wrapped over her stolen skin. _I wonder... what Blue's first memory is._

The shift in thoughts stirred Maisie from her daze, but she was happy to forget about Dr. Inger. It'd be nice if she was four and Grandpa could hold her again. No, wait, the arms she was imagining were real. Maisie felt their weight and heat, picking her up. Pulling her brain from its grog, Maisie searched for a face. "Grandpa?"

"Go back to sleep."

Maisie opened her eyes. And her heart dropped. _I saw you with Dr. Inger!_ "You-"

"Just stay quiet." Sergeant Terry ordered her, his pace quickening.

 **}{}{}{}{**

The scents repealed Blue as she circled the camp. Her instincts warned her; these humans intended death. For her and her species. She'd seen the cages, but she hadn't seen Maisie. She was frustrated with her decision to come back. But Maisie was a member of Owen's pack. If she was harmed... it would hurt him. Blue struggled with her motivation as she spotted a gap in the humans patrolling the camp. Hunkered low, she darted ahead until she was in the shadow of the tent. She sniffed again; no Maisie. She looked up at an eager squack, and saw the cages across the way. The bars she'd hated, two dinosaurs rammed against now, seeking freedom.

Blue's head cocked, studying the cages farther. Much like ones that'd held her... until that one female had opened it. Blue watched and waited; then stole between the tents to the cages. The dinosaurs panicked, clamoring into the farthest corner. Blue sniffed around the frame, until she came to the door. But she stopped, nose tilting in the air. Maisie?

She looked out, where voices went back and forth and a car engine started. One of the dinosaurs moaned again. Blue looked back at them, at the handles locking them in. Could she free them? Should she?

 **Disclaimer: This bit is based on an idea from Youtuber 'Nando v Movies'. He made a video called 'Pushing the Dinosaur Button', where it might have been plausible for Blue to free the dinosaurs in Fallen Kingdom. The idea is his, I own nothing. It was just too awesome a concept not to address.**


	19. New Claim

_"How_ did you know?" Claire demanded, relinquishing her phone to Aldovich. Dr. Inger rubbed her eyes. "That is... a long story."

"You can tell it here or in a prison cell."

Gavrill let out a soft chuckle. "A proud threat, Mrs. Grady. You wear it well."

"Are the embryos here?" Henry's eyes swiped the lab as they entered. Dr. Inger took Claire's phone, fiddling with the keys. "Of course they are... Mrs. Grady, any photos or videos of Maisie, I'll need added to our research archive."

Claire gaped at her as Henry pointed at the cooler room. _"What_ were you thinking, stealing InGen property?"

"That it wasn't stealing." Dr. Inger flustered. "My mentor managed Hammond and Lockwood's findings, I cleared all resources in and out of that building for twelve years! I have as much right as anyone!" She reined herself in with a deep breath and glare at Gavrill. "And it turned out to be a justifiable move."

Gavrill shrugged, preoccupied with the tip of his cane. None of which concerned Claire. "And your reason for stealing a ten-year-old girl?"

"Don't act so innocent," Dr. Inger slammed her phone on the counter. "This' no ordinary child!" She looked back at Henry. "Sir, she's a product-"

"She's a kid!" Claire exclaimed. The next instant consisted of Dr. Inger grabbing Aldovich's gun and pressing it through Claire's bangs. Her eyes were afire; a fire Claire recognized. _It's all out of control and she refuses to accept that._

"Edwin Hall." Dr. Inger spit out. "A brilliant man, one of eight. Benjamin Lockwood gave them the mission of conquering death and they did it! I don't know how Lockwood kept them quiet, but I refuse to stand aside like they did. Now; unlock your phone!"

Gavrill's chuckles grew louder. "I do love how quickly Americans show their passion."

"Glad you can take this so nonchalantly." Claire told him, a new awareness of the dinosaurs only a few yards from them.

"...the research you've risked, most likely contaminated," Henry was ranting now at Dr. Inger.

"It was either that or lose it entirely. The government has gridlocked everything outside of this lab!"

Henry's face relinquished some of its rage. "And the child, Dr. Inger?"

"She's the key to InGen's future. You think people will give two thoughts to a dinosaur when we've perfected _human_ cloning? Wilmut, Rainbow, they've all been leading to this. _Who_ would you rather be in charge of it?!"

"Bringing us to the matter of damage control." Mr. Aldovich threw in. Dr. Inger, repossessing Claire's phone, nodded. Claire's brain clicked with her actions as Mr. Aldovich grabbed her. "What, stop! Get off me!"

"Once we find Maisie and the raptor, we can continue our work." Dr. Inger was addressing Henry again, ignoring their struggle. Claire flailed, kicking the counter. It hardly stopped Mr. Aldovoich from dragging her to the cooler room. Claire felt the drop in temp as the doors opened, goosebumps traveling up her arms. Mr. Aldovich shoved her in and Claire spun as the doors shut. She spied the intercom and crowded up to it. "Please, don't! Maisie's not a science experiment! She's a little girl! She..." Claire held the shake from her voice. "She listens to Katy Perry, wants to be a pilot!"

"Claire, I'm sorry." Dr. Inger answered back, avoiding eye contact through the glass. "But she's too important to risk a normal life on."

Claire hit the glass, eyes piercing Inger, then Henry. He looked shock, but turned his head as Mr. Aldovich worked some buttons on the wall panel. The coolers increased their humming, then cold air began blasting from the vents. This reinforced Claire's goosebumps, yet increased her rage. She about screamed into the intercom. "Your idea of a life is going to kill her!"

"You know what you're killing by trying to hide what Lockwood, Hall, and the others discovered? It's now possible to bring back loved ones, replace failing organs..." She shook her head, the possibilities flying behind her eyes. "You're going to be that selfish?"

Her last word stilled Claire. There was some selfishness under the responsibility she and Owen felt toward Maisie. But Claire neither denied or embraced it as the whole reason that little girl meant so much. Claire resisted rubbing her chilling arms. "It's Maisie's decision of when she'll tell people."

"Maisie's a product of bio-engineering. She doesn't get a choice." Dr. Inger stated, releasing the intercom button, going back to the phone. Claire backed up until her shoulder bumped one of the coolers. It was frosted. This brought awareness to her numbing fingers; and her breath fogging in front of her face. _Owen!_

 **}{}{}{}{**

Owen wiped Kolov's blood off before dust could stick and watched the t-rex mosey down the road, sniffing for its next meal. He leaned against the demolished wall, eyeing up at the bushes where Zia was. He thumbed up and she stood. He could see her eyes bulging from here. He shrugged, motioning for her to head down. He was trying to catch a full breath, still expecting the earth to shake, rattle, and roll. But as the t-rex got farther off, he found more focus. And started searching the ground.

"Owen!" Franklin skidded up, gaping at the hole before gaping at him. "... you ok?"

Owen eyed him grudgingly. "I'm covered in dead man blood and t-rex spit, my jaw aches, and pretty sure the entire right side of my ribs are cracked."

"So... not really."

Owen nodded, locating his gun; and Kolov's. "Wait here for Zia. I need to get down to Claire."

"Alone?" Franklin moved his laptop to the only upright desk.

"Any backup would've been here by now." Owen checked both guns. "Maisie got away. So did Blue."

Franklin gulped, needing no further explanation. Owen analyzed the walkie talkie from Kolov's belt. It was a Motorola, so there was at least a thirty-mile range. It had several channels... better to have it then not.

"I still need several minutes to-"

"I'll need five." Owen told him, bypassing the elevator for the stairs.

 **}{}{}{}{**

"Future heavyweight champion, ladies and gentlemen!" Owen Grady announced, passing another log into Maisie's arms. She already carried four and the weight was obvious, but she kept walking. Through the phone's lens Claire followed them, toward a lake. "This'll be exciting, right?"

"I've roasted marshmallows before, just never outside." Maisie laughed, wavering. Claire's hand appeared to catch her, but Maisie shook her head. "I got it."

More was said, and the camera followed Maisie, half-dropping her logs to the ground. Henry watched each second in the new light it deserved. The first human clone, interacting, bonding, laughing. Normally, he'd be taking notes, marking down the emotions and stimuli conductive to the subject, to be filed away and reflected on later. So why was Maisie's pointed, determined expression all he was seeing? Why did she remind him... of him?

"It's back under control!" Dr. Inger breathed out. Henry looked up, as did the Russian men. Dr. Inger indicated the call she'd just ended. "Maisie ran right into the army base! Terry has her and is bringing her back here."

Mr. Aldovich glimpsed the cooler room. "We should meet him halfway. Kolov isn't answering and if they let others know they were coming-"

 _Oh right,_ Henry looked back at the video, even though it'd ended. _I didn't tell them about the others, Zia and Franklin._

Why hadn't he? Henry looked over Claire's phone, to see Claire hunkered by a cooler, fighting to stay warm. A colleague and a fellow visionary, both in the park and with the DPG. She'd changed, but her grit hadn't. Much like Sorkin and himself, before the ideas of dinosaurs became a reality. _A reality only when we cut corners._

Had the board gone with Sorkin's method and waited on a pure genome, would they even be here?

"I'm so sorry this was put on hold, Dr. Wu." Dr. Inger approached him, the stress lines significantly less in her face. "But we can move forward as planned. Once we're re-settled, we'll be amazed by the new heights-"

"This isn't the way." Henry put the phone down, keeping his voice low. Dr. Inger, oblivious and smiling, leaned in. "Pardon?"

Fortunately, Mr. Gavrill and his friend were in their own huddle near the hall. Henry's tone stayed even. "They have no qualm with killing, but... I do. I believe that you do too."

Dr. Inger's face changed. "What other way is there, sir? Claire and Owen Grady will try to steal this from us, from InGen. They could go public before we've had proper time to study and prepare for the new directions this will allow us. You realize what this does for genetic engineering alone!"

"Of course I do." Henry dared her to question his intelligence farther. "But we'd be starting from scratch."

"No." Dr. Inger's voice lowered as well. "Edwin Hall kept journals. _That's_ how I found out! That's how we can carry InGen to the forefront of the world! My name, _your_ name won't just be linked to dinosaurs."

Every word she spoke was an argument Henry had made himself over the years. So many years, building new species, setting standards for new ecosystems, and the balance of one gene against another. He still lived for it, rejoiced in the sprouting of life, tempered and revealed to respond as expected.

"Perhaps I can live with that." Henry said. Dr. Inger looked as dumbfounded as he felt. "You're supposed to be my alley! As a fellow scientist-"

"Maybe," Henry caught the Russians looking their way. "I've been a scientist too long. I'm being sure we ask the right questions."

"Are you?"

Henry nodded as the men came closer. "The little girl will question it. What do we tell her when she does?"

"Only what she needs to know." Mr. Gavrill joined in. Henry distanced himself, eyeing the cooler room again. He moved past them, toward the controls. "We can't cut corners on this, gentlemen. And we can't kill."

"Yes we can!"

Henry didn't know what he was expecting; perhaps that random gray area, that statistical anomaly that baffled every generation before and after him. Somehow though, he hadn't expected Dr. Inger to send a bullet into him.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Claire stared over the room for anything that might give her an escape. Ice was forming beneath the frost along the sides of the coolers. Claire tilted her head up; the motion hurt her muscles. Frigid air as pumping out from somewhere. She could block it maybe, she could... her mind was becoming an icy bog, the thoughts slow to gather through. _I can't... I'm NOT dying like this... OWEN!_

As if on cue, the flash of a gun caught her attention. Owen burst through the doorway as Aldovich pushed Gavrill down, returning fire. Claire's chin quivered and she gripped the desk to keep standing. The coolers held samples at -80 degrees Celsius. The generators had been ground level at the park, but this building was on the old system. The pipes-

Claire started as a bullet lodged in the glass. Owen had dove near the cages, unbolting them as Aldovich fired away. Where was Henry and Dr. Inger? Claire eyed the intercom again, then the rest of the room. They were using the cold to kill her, but maybe it could save her. Claire staggered to the utility cabinet. The doors squeaked with cold, revealing tool bags and spare parts for the coolers. Claire grabbed a bag, slapping herself for enough coherency to search for pliers. _Okay, okay..._

The ruckus outside elevated. Claire looked back and saw the pterodactyl destroying the room. It fought for its footing and an escape... giving Owen the 'cover' to give Aldovich the first punch. Claire dropped the pliers as it rammed the glass. Or did they fall from her stiff, shivering fingers?

 _Stay moving, stay alive._ Claire told herself, getting to the cooler closest the sealed doors... and the glass with the bullet hole. Claire moved around the cooler and found the two thin pipes that fed liquid nitrogen inside. They were thin, but solid nonetheless. She'd have to remove the top brackets. Claire's brain said this, but her body took forever to find the screwdriver she needed. She berated herself to go faster.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Owen slid in beside Dr. Wu. He seemed painfully unaware of what was happening, shallowly breathing over a blood-stained chest. Owen didn't ask. A mere counter separated them from the mad pterodactyl, smashing beakers and overturning equipment left and right. The woman- Dr. Inger most likely- had bolted when the shooting started. Maybe this wasn't the brightest thing he'd ever done, but Owen needed Aldovich's attention divided. He pulled the doctor close. "Where's Claire."

Dr. Wu blinked, trying to put away the pain from his bullet wound. "C-Coolers."

Owen risked a look up and sure enough, spotted her. What was she doing?

The pterodactyl shot upward suddenly, hitting the ceiling, knocking one of the lights out. The madness had pushed Gavrill to the doors, but he struggled to open them. Owen ducked back down as the pterodactyl landed on the counter. Its wings grappled for the room they sought, claws scrapping for firm footing. It chirped its frustration, causing Dr. Wu to look up. Owen aimed his gun, but the pterodactyl screamed, reeling back. One compie and another piled onto it, until the dinosaurs disappeared. Aldovich had released them? Fighting fire with fire? Owen took the distraction, sidestepping Dr. Wu and dashing for the cooler room. Owen reached the glass, feeling the bite of the cold on the other side. If it was this cold, it'd be brittle. He could break it-

At that, the glass shattered like ice.

 _She read my mind!_ Owen shook the shards off, caring little of the scraps he got pulling Claire through the hole. "Hey! I gotcha."

"Worked." She gripped his shoulders and fought to stay up. "Uh, y-y-ou're wa-a-rm."

"Always with the compliments." Owen rubbed at her arms. "How'd you do that?"

Claire focused her green orbs on him. "Bent a pipe... s-s-so the cold air would- Owen!"

Owen turned and with a single shot stopped the compie from leaping onto his back. The rest of the pack paused from their meal; then thankfully returned to it. He looked around for Aldovich and his boss... they were gone.

 _Later._ Owen drew his mind from it as the compies hacked into the pterodactyl. The reality of these creatures rolled around in his stomach like a bad meal. The reality that it went beyond California, beyond Gavrill, and even Dr. Inger. It was one battle tonight; tomorrow, the rest of the war.

"Maisie-" Claire clutched his arm. "The valley-"

"Yeah, c'mon." Owen deviated to where he'd left Dr. Wu. The scientist continued to fight for breath as they propped him up. "Can you move?"

"Slowly." Dr. Wu seethed.

They needed to be faster then that. The compies had taken notice, eyes and purrs following them as they made for the doors. Was it because they were still hungry... or because they wanted out of the door as well? Did it matter? Owen leaned Wu onto Claire, giving him room to level his gun on them. This alerted the tiny dinosaurs farther. They were stepping over the pterodactyl, ignoring the human remains.

"Here." Wu held up a keycard. Claire swiped it and Owen never broke eye contact. They were out in one shuffle, the doors locking before the compies had a chance. Owen dropped the gun and helped to prop Wu against the opposite wall. Owen grimaced at the bullet's dark entry.

"Sergeant Terry... found Maisie." Wu stated, pressing a hand to his wound. Owen shared a look with Claire.

"The army set up a base in the flats." He lifted his hand again; this time with Claire's phone. "Executive decision to kill the dinosaurs there."

"The ones not selected for Lockwood's 'sanctuary'." Owen mentioned as Claire took the phone. "What?"

Owen shook his head. "Later. Where's the base?"

"Dr. Inger will take the 136," Wu said. "I don't know to where, but that's... what she told Terry."

Owen blinked, almost missing the elevator dinging behind them. "You're telling us, why?"

The pretentiousness returned to Wu's eyes. "It was more then your persuasive conversation."

"Help him," Claire addressed Zia as she entered with Franklin. Sweaty and dirt-streaked, she tossed the rifle to Owen. One look at Wu and she paled. "With what?"

"T-They'd keep a first aid kit on every floor." Franklin broke from his gape at the carnage in the lab. "I'll find one."

Owen looked Wu over, until Claire grabbed his arm. He caught her eyes, as desperate and tired as his. "It's all we have to go on."

Owen's focus shifted back and he got up, handing Claire the handgun. "Maisie ran off, but we've got a location on her."

Claire examined her weapon. "There's two bullets left. Zia, do you have extra mags?"

"Trunk." Zia threw her her car keys, putting attention and pressure on Wu's bloody chest. Catching them, Claire tore for the elevator. "Let's go."

 _There's the fire I married._ Owen followed her, rifle in hand.


	20. New Query

**I'm sooorrryyyyy for the lengthy delay in posting. Work- and food poisoning- can push a few things back. But alls good again and the story is back on! Enjoy and review as always!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

Maisie pulled her thoughts together as she jostled against her seatbelt. The car was racing away; with her mind racing faster. She _couldn't_ go back to the lab! She wouldn't get another chance... Owen and Claire might not find her! She watched up front, where Sergeant Terry kept a rigid control on the steering wheel. He'd talked with Dr. Inger, leaving when the others had brought Blue in. He'd also ordered Owen to stay behind. So where was Owen... her head hurt so much! Maisie just wanted to close her eyes-

 _Don't be tired._ She ordered herself, narrowing her eyes on her door. _And don't be scared._

She needed to do this before the base got too far away. Sergeant Terry was dialing a number on his cell as Maisie gripped her handle, flipping the auto lock. Air rushed in, shocking her face with humid darkness.

"Hey, what-"

Maisie let the door fly open, coughing at the dust that whipped inside. She smelled the salt again as she leaned out; it threatening to suffocate her! But she braced as Sergeant Terry slowed. _Jump and run, jump and run!_

Every muscle in her body was ready to. Sergeant Terry was reaching, ordering her back in. Only an alien sound stopped her at the last second. Maisie's head jerked up to see the allosaurus running like mad to catch up with them. She squinted through the dry cloud to be sure she was seeing right. _How did it get out of its cage?_ _Is the trike out too?_

A yank on her hair pulled her back into the car. Braking, Sergeant Terry pushed her onto the floor where she could see his angry face. " _Don't_ do that again!"

Maisie, dazed, tried to focus as he twisted, pulled her door closed, and threw the car back into drive. Claws scrapped at the rear window as the car reeved and resumed its speed. This shoved Maisie against the seat, shooting pain up her back. What was she on? Coughing out the last of the dust, Maisie pulled herself back into the seat. Sergeant Terry was back on his cell, swearing under his breath. Maisie inspected the floor, moving her feet as she rubbed her head. A walkie talkie!

"You better plan on meeting me halfway!"

Maisie looked back to see Sergeant Terry hissing into his phone. "I've gotta ditch this car and you'll take yours!... Yeah, the intersection... you WHAT!?"

The car sped up. Maisie pushed her foot over the walkie, letting her tears fall. She looked back, the allosaurus growing farther away, veering to the right of them. There was too much dust for her to see anything else. Sergeant Terry's phone snapped shut, drawing her attention again. He stared at her, hard and cold. It choked Maisie with fear, but she breathed. "The army's going to follow you."

"They'll follow the dinosaurs." Sergeant Terry gained on the scant hills that'd lead to an asphalt road. The car bumped and he hit his palm against the wheel. "An easy job! Heck of a time for me to believe that."

Maisie wiped her tears away. "Let me go."

Sergeant Terry eyed her, like she was making a joke. Maisie didn't look away. "It's just causing trouble for you."

"It's all this trouble that'll cost the doc." Sergeant Terry curved as they entered the hills. His eyes continued to shift, as though a dinosaur would pop out at any moment. "Her and Gavrill... cost them a lot."

He sensed Maisie's gaze become a glare. "Hey, just because the world's collapsing doesn't mean my finances have to."

 _I need to get out of here._ Maisie watched out the window, keeping her exhaustion at bay. "I... I don't feel good."

This irritated him. "Dr. Inger has that medicine for you. Just lay down."

Maisie did, watching the rearview mirror. If she put her head behind the driver's seat, he wouldn't see her. He wouldn't see the walkie talkie when she picked it up either.

 **}{}{}{}{**

"We're done awaiting orders!" Colonel Placer yelled in his subordinates' faces. "Those animals are dying tonight! We'll use their trackers to-"

"Sir." Private Seaver interrupted, chin and stance erect. "With all due respect, Sergeant Terry can only allow that."

Colonel Placer tightened his grip on his belt, looking across the footprint of destruction the triceratops and the allosaurus had left. They'd ripped through a tent and six more men before breaking free into the desert. Any seconds they wasted on protocol, they wasted civilian life! Placer turned back to Private Seaver. "Where _is_ Terry?"

Private Seaver's eyes showed her discomfort. "We don't know."

Placer closed his eyes for some sort of control. "And the point of this conversation?"

It wasn't like their funds had been evenly spread before, but now, rather then targeting the defeat of terrorists, they had to make dinosaurs go extinct... again!

"I'm leading three hummers out." Placer pulled back from Private Seaver. "Eight men to each hummer. The trackers are headed southwest-"

There were no further objections as they built up their firepower. Two minutes, and they were ready to move out. Placer got into the front vehicle, the tracker screen ready and beeping. The driver had the headlights on, brightening the barren valley ahead.

"Colonel Placer!" A solider stopped him from closing the door. He looked puzzled, holding up one of their walkie talkies. "Something... odd's coming across our frequency."

Placer took the walkie, not seeing how they had the time-

"What happened with Owen?" a small persisted through the static. "Is he still alive?"

 _Owen Grady?_ Placer's brain clicked with the name.

"Wouldn't know." A gravely tone belonging to Sergeant Terry answered her. "He's not good at following orders."

What was this? Colonel Placer looked back up, but the solider was just as clueless. Yet, that voice familiar...

"The dinosaurs are following us." the child was speaking again. "And Owen's going to find you. I'd just give up-"

"Maisie." Placer said aloud. That was the girl from the tent earlier. What was she doing with Sergeant Terry?

 **}{}{}{}{**

Claire's hand was suffocating Owen's arm, but he was sharing the same disbelief as her. In the lead of having the most injuries, he was letting Claire drive, while he tried all the channels on the walkie talkie. His hope had been contact with the army base, lead them to Inger's 'secret' facility. Maisie's voice was the last thing he expected to hear.

"Where are we going?"

"You want me to let you out right now!?" Terry threatened her question. "Stop talking!"

Maisie breathed. Somehow, the walkie was on and Terry didn't know it. How was she pulling that off? What was she doing, taking a risk like that?

 _She's thinking like me, that's what._ He realized. He switched the channel and Claire about veered off the road. "What are you doing!? That's her-"

"We've got to figure out a plan and he can't hear us make it." Owen told her before the freak out went any farther. "And Franklin needs to know about this channel. Maybe he can find a backchannel, get the army out to the base-"

"We'll be coming up on the intersection soon, won't we?" Claire, big surprise, wasn't listening. "We can stop him there... but Inger has that medicine with her. Maybe we should wait until they've given it to her-"

Owen pushed himself in. "Is this best for her?"

"What!?" Claire's foot jolted on the brakes. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not saying we don't save her." Owen made himself clear. "But after we do... is she safer with us, or just more vulnerable?"

Claire's face flustered splotchy and red. _"Why_ is that even a question?"

"Like it or not, you're the more emotional of us," Owen pointed out, adjusting his weight from his damaged ribs. He didn't like pressing this now, but with everything rushing ahead of them, he knew they had to be honest with themselves. Maisie was too important... "So I have to ask it; are we what's best for Maisie? Iris knows her, she can provide for her-"

"You know Maisie doesn't care about that." Claire insisted, accelerating another five miles. "And neither do I. Where is this coming from, Owen?"

Owen eyed the road, following where it ran between the valley and the Sierra Nevada. "Wu was right. I knew from the start what InGen hoped to breed the raptors for; giving them commands to respond to. I took the responsibility of that and botched it. I don't want to repeat that with Maisie."

"So what, we just back pedal and pretend she never happened?" Claire's disbelief climbed with each word. A tense breath passed between them, until Claire forced her knuckles to relax on the wheel. "Maybe- we took her in for selfish reasons. Call them that, but..." her eyes pierced him. "I won't regret that decision."

Owen rested his head on the seat. "Me neither. But if it goes south..."

He let the silence pound at his head again. Gavrill was in the wind. Dinosaurs were putting the world at risk, and not just the ones that were alive, but the ones that would be created. People weren't going to stop... unless he and Claire stopped them. And what would happen to Maisie in the meantime?

"Owen," Claire entered in again, the car slowing for the first time. "While I'm enjoying this adult conversation, could we deal with-"

Owen opened his eyes and immediately forgot his future worries. The t-rex ahead of them restored plenty of old worries to deal with.

 **}{}{}{}{**

With Blue, the trouble had been the hemorrhaging and needing a transfusion. For Wu though, it was the opposite. The bullet was in his ribs somewhere, causing his lung to pool with blood. Franklin had hurried back with a first aid kit, but the care it offered was minimal. The walkie beeped. _"Zia, Franklin-"_

Zia jumped from her taught position, keeping pressure against Wu's torso. Franklin picked up. "Yeah, go ahead."

 _"Try channel six."_ Owen advised. _"That army base is using it. You can get some people over there, help with Wu."_

"And prove his innocence." Zia nodded to the dinosaur infested lab. She gritted her teeth as Wu released another raggedy breath. Anything she could use to treat him was in there... but so were crimson-mouthed compsognathus. Wu gulped, opening his eyes through a sweaty forehead. "Dinosaurs between me... and death. You probably find it poetic."

"You're not going die." Zia told him. Even for him, she couldn't accept that. Wu raised a brow at her. "What's the point... it's all dead anyway."

He was talking about more then his body. Zia eyed the semi-automatic Owen had left them. Five dinosaurs... how many bullets did she have? Zia steeled. "Franklin-"

But suddenly the gun was in Franklin's hand, his arm following the rest of his body to the doors. "Something happens to you, who takes care of him?"

"Wh-" Zia gaped, her hands leaving Wu. "Hold up!"

Wu leaned forward in pain. "Yes, wait... the samples."

Both paused to look at him. Wu lifted his hand, eyeing the blood over his fingers with an eerie gaze. "Dr. Inger took binary samples from the girl. In there." He coughed, flecking the floor with red dots. "You'll want them destroyed... before you bring the army here."

Zia's gaze turned eerie now; and suspicious. "The next great discovery of the science frontier... and you're okay with keeping it a secret."

"Why?" Franklin pressed, moving back from the doors.

Wu let three or four beats pass. "The freezers are already conpromised. It's... just a matter of finding the nearest drain." He pulled himself and Zia moved to help. "We can't open another Pandora's box... before the other one's been closed."

 _He doesn't seem to have a solid answer._ Zia watched Wu, baffled. Still though, Franklin couldn't go in there. "Franklin, I need you to put pressure-"

There was a hiss as Franklin keyed himself inside, catching the acute attention of the compies. Gun in front of him, Zia felt Franklin's panic as he stepped in. The compies watched them new creature approach, blinking and wondering. The color drained from Zia's face as the doors closed. _Has he ever fired-_

BAM!

A compie went down- as did Franklin with the kickback.

"Get up!" Zia yelped. He couldn't hear her, but Franklin was swinging and shooting, pushing the remaining pack away.

"Advance, advance... advance."

Zia looked back at an ashen Dr. Wu. He coughed, wetting his lips with more blood. "That's what it always was. What we could accomplish in ten years was challenged by what we could accomplish in five."

"This your moment of confession." Zia rolled her eyes, reexamining the bullet's entry. She was torn, as Franklin downed another dino... only to find himself out! But she stayed kneeling, putting a hand into the first aid kit. "I need to siphon the blood out, give it somewhere to go."

"I was the first approached by Hammond." Wu wiped at his lips, somehow remaining refined. "Laura Sorkin and I... the privilege of it still overwhelms me."

"That almost sounds like humility." Zia opened her pocket knife, razor-focused on the skin between Wu's ribs. She cut too wide or too high, he'd bleed out.

"I wonder what Sorkin would think of all this." Wu went on. "If she'd be childish enough to say 'I told you so'."

Zia gave up derailing his guilt trip. She needed to get this incision right. "She didn't agree with playing God?"

Wu's eyes faltered on the glass into the lab. "She was willing to ask the questions no one else would. And now, what we thought we could control..."

Zia followed his pale gaze to see Franklin kick a compie into a pile of shattered glass. She didn't blink as he dove forward, swept a shard up... and stabbed the compie straight through the neck! Zia's throat dried. She bolted up to the doors, banging on them. "Franklin? Franklin!"

Franklin spun as a compie leapt for his shoulder. The claws knocked his glasses off, but Franklin cleaved to the glass, stabbing again. Zia gasped, tears fogging her own lens. Why did seeing this sadden her... because she wanted the lovable, enduring geek Franklin back. These doors needed to open, NOW! " _Franklin!"_

He started, dropping the dead dinosaur and the glass. He touched his clawed cheek, then looked about in a daze for the gun and the keycard. Zia stepped back as he made it to the door. They clicked open, revealed his heavy breathing and shaking body. Did he even see her?

"I..." he looked around, like he just realized his glasses were missing. "I did that... you can... help him now."

Zia pulled him into a hug, keeping her tears against his trembling shoulder.


	21. New Chaos

**I know, I know, my updates have been farther apart. My health has not been the best this past month. Just think that the longer this story goes, that's less time you have to wait until the release of Jurassic World 3! Either way, I'm back and ready to take a bite out of your day! Enjoy, and review!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

"You can't be-"

"Until another idea comes along, yeah, I am." Owen gripped the dashboard with his good hand, eyes zeroed in on the t-rex. Everything in Claire's eyes protested the idea. "Suppose it goes after Terry's car and not ours! Maisie-"

"Maisie's already in danger, Claire." Owen breathed deep to convince his ribs that they were fine. "You don't think Terry or Inger will threaten her the minute we get close? We need them distracted."

"Inger doesn't know we're following her." Claire pointed out. "And she has that medicine. We can catch up to her-"

"Before they reach the highway?" Owen asked.

Things were happening too fast for her to answer. They were coming on the t-rex and would likely pass her, in order to reach Inger and Terry. Almost twenty minutes had passed and Route 136 was ending. Owen knew if Terry and Inger got to the highway, their chances of finding Maisie would shrink. Regardless of the zero traffic. Claire pushed the car neck and neck on the t-rex, its massive body casting a shadow darker then night over them. Claire kept the pace, knowing the car could outrun her. That gave little comfort. She hadn't noticed their headlights yet... but she would. They risked their own lives as well as Maisie's. But what else did they have?

"Owen, Claire?" Zia's distorted voice broke the tension. Owen held the walkie up, answering back. "What is it?"

There was a pause. "Dr. Wu... he just died."

Claire's mouth fell open.

"You guys okay?" Owen asked, knowing they had more pressing issues. Zia recognized it too, moving on. "Franklin reached the army and he's got enough to prove your innocence. There's just no one to read it- they're chasing some escaped dinosaurs from their base."

Owen's stomach dropped. "How many?"

"I don't know." Zia told him sourly. "But if they've got guys headed in your direction-"

"Yeah." Owen finished her thinking. "They'll be coming in behind us. Thanks, Zia."

"You gotta plan?"

"Working on it." He looked back at Claire. She didn't say anything, pushing back the terror in her eyes as she laid on the horn. The t-rex started as they pulled ahead on the road, letting out a roar as she recognized the moving target. Owen cringed as the windows vibrated, looking back. "She's taking it."

Claire gave a tense nod. She closed her eyes as the earth reverberated beneath them. They steadily grew more frequent, but the car stayed on course... until it hit the taillights of Dr. Inger's car. Owen leaned forward, squinting ahead. A black car sped up ahead of her. It had to be Terry! Owen checked again and the legs of the t-rex continued to lumber after them. "C'mon girl... follow your stomach."

"Do me a favor and _not_ be you right now!" Claire suddenly burst out, her tunnel vision on the car ahead of them. "Think they're able to communicate?"

"They don't need to to notice our hitchhiker." Owen readied his firearm, resisting the view in the rearview mirror. Dr. Inger had sped up, but so had Claire. This just egged the t-rex on, gaining speed along the road behind them. "Get to the side of her."

That tensed Claire up more. "And... what?"

"Terry's gonna panic any second." Owen assured her. As collected as the guy was... well, he had more experience in this area. "He'll run for the trees."

"With or without Maisie?"

"I don't know." Owen was pained to admit. "I'll get her. You take Inger."

Claire pushed her breath out; her way of saying she trusted him. She fought to keep the car right as the t-rex suddenly shoved her nose between the back fenders. Dr. Inger's car was thrown over, sending sparks as it skid across the asphalt.

"Keep going!" Owen ordered Claire. If they braked, they were dead. He kept Terry's vehicle in his sights. _C'mon! Prove me right, prove me right-_

Terry's tail lights went bright as the car swerved, screeching to a halt in the ditch. Claire slammed on the brakes, putting them between Terry and Inger. Owen's seatbelt was already off. His body protested his contact with the ground, but seeing Terry bolt fueled him again. Claire was also out and running for Inger's car, rifle at the ready. The t-rex sent another shockwave as it caught up with them. Terry faltered, but it didn't stop him from yanking the back door open.

 _Maisie!_ Owen actually blinked as she was pulled out and pushed toward the embankment. Her face was flushed, but she was in one piece. Owen pushed himself into a run. As he did, crashing glass and scrapping metal sounded behind him as the t-rex bit into their car. But that wouldn't distract her for long. Owen came up the embankment to where Maisie struggled with her footing. He didn't remember the steps, only registered her turning, then reaching for him. He grabbed; he had her!

Then a blast from behind blew his focus. Before a pain split the back of his head.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Blue skidded, then stopped. She had almost cleared the trees, clearing a path for the others to follow... if they could. She was faster then them and couldn't be sure if they would make it. That wasn't what pulled her attention, however. Blue looked back now to see the smoke and hear the injured roar rise above the sparse branches. The wind blew the scent of the smoke up her nose... along with other scents. Owen.

Last time though, his scent had been false and had caused her to be sloppy. Blue wasn't risking her capture again. She eyed the opposite direction again, where the land stretched out and bore no scent of people. It was certain freedom. That was where she needed to be headed, before the human hunters caught up. Blue shuffled her feet, sniffing again. Owen was still there.

She had been lingering for too long... so why wasn't she running?

 **}{}{}{}{**

Claire barely had time to duck beside Dr. Inger's car before the explosion hit her ears, blinding her a second later. She clutched the rifle until everything stopped spinning, then peeked beyond the up-turned tire. A blockade of five army Humvees took aim several yards down the road. The t-rex's head turned with a moan, her shoulder smoldering from the hit it took. And she still wasn't down! Only confused as to which way to attack. Claire looked back, their smashed car blocking any view of Owen or Maisie. Had it been any other intersection, there would've been nothing but flat brown land for miles. But as it were, there were scrawny dry trees on either side. Owen will get her there... _Focus!_

Claire crawled along Inger's overturned car. It was hot and she smelled gas. If one of those RPGs got close enough... Claire made it to the cracked windshield. Through it, she spotted Dr. Inger's bloodied forehead and hands, scrambling with her twisted seatbelt. With the butt of her rifle, Claire cleared out the broken glass. "Dr. Inger... you alright?"

Dr. Inger ignored her, freeing herself and grabbing a slight metal case. It was wedged between the seat head and the roof. Claire dropped the rifle and reached in. They both grabbed the handle at the same time. With her other hand, Inger grabbed her wrist with surprising strength. "Please! Please don't take her away!"

 _That's rich!_ Claire stewed, their eyes meeting. Nonetheless, she helped the doctor crawl out of the dented, smoking vehicle. She brought the case with her, which Dr. Inger latched onto the minute they were both free. "You have to understand, Mrs. Grady. I'm doing what's necessary-"

"You _stole_ her!" Claire stressed, the sentence nauseating her. Dr. Inger shook her head, wiping blood from her eyes. "Maisie's body needed to be returned to controlled conditions. And she needs to be kept there, so that she'll be monitored properly." She gripped the case harder. "Where _I_ can help her."

"Maisie." Claire raised a finger in the woman's face. "Is not a lab rat you get to collar. She has the right to decide, how she feels and what she wants."

Dr. Inger's pained face dropped then into a dry laugh. "Rights? What of the rights of those who created her? The rights of those who will benefit from her existence?"

"We compromise one person, we compromise them all." Claire spat the words out. Movement drew her eye to the t-rex as it squared off with the advancing Humvees. "Henry's dead."

Dr. Inger stopped and the realization took its time across her face. Claire listened to the firing of the guns, thought back to the brutality against the stegosaurus. "None of this was necessary before... but we let it get too far." She looked back at this desperate woman. She felt the need for progress, understood it even. "We've both had our say in how to move forward from this; the experiments, the research, the park. But... it's not just dinosaurs anymore. We're idiots if we treat it as anything else."

The gunfire began to ricochet off the car, jarring them both. Claire yanked the case away from Inger, standing. But suddenly the car was spinning, knocking Claire and Dr. Inger back down. Claire's stomach caught the brunt of the fall and she clutched the case as she rolled away before the car did. Wait, where was the rifle?

The t-rex bellowed above them and Claire looked up. She had to blink, feeling blood entering her eye. Had she gouged it? She pressed on it with her palm as the t-rex staggered into the trees. _Maisie!_

She heard the next click, catching the light of another RPG arching into the air. Claire felt time still, following it back down with her good eye. Her breath caught as it erupted against the t-rex's back. This time, the force drove her down. Claire flattened herself as the road, the cars, her very soul shook with the gigantic fall. Stale air blew past everything, filling her mouth and hair with dust. She dared to look up only when the eerie quiet settled with it.

 **}{}{}{}{**

"...ad! Dad!"

Owen's head throbbed, while every bone within him shook. The earth had shuddered, causing him to roll back down the embankment... surprisingly keeping him conscious. The repercussions clouded his ears, but he still lifted his head. Several of the trees had fallen, others split in half under the weight of the t-rex. Everything was still, abnormally still... one foot to the left, and her leg would've crushed them-

"Dad!"

 _Maisie._ Owen righted himself, seeing her scuffle with Terry. He tore up, only needing two steps to punch him away from her. Maisie, relief over her flushed face, wrapped herself around him. Owen hugged back, finally breathing. T _ook RPGS and a t-rex, but she finally called me dad!_

"Took you long enough." Maisie sniffled into his shirt. Owen eased her back to get a good look at her. A few scrapes and bumps, but she'd live. Owen then caught the gauze taped over her arm. "What happened there?"

"Back up." came Terry's tight, frustrated voice. Owen pushed Maisie behind him as Terry came up from his knees, gun poised at Owen's stomach. This guy was crazy! Owen kept Maisie's hand in his and his eyes on Terry. "Man, is it really worth it?"

Terry leveled the gun farther up. "I'll answer that after I kill-"

A screech cut him off, knocking Terry flat into the grass. Owen's eyes bulged as Blue pinned Terry, shielding Maisie as she closed her teeth around his neck. There was a snap, a jerk through his body, and Terry went limp. Blue gave an extra squeeze before she released. Owen kept still as she raised her head, cocked it, then chirped at him. Owen thought about how to respond- then felt Maisie slump against him. "I-I don't feel good."

That jerked his attention away. "Don't worry, kid. Claire's got some medicine for you."

He picked her up against his own pains, eyeing back at the road. It was blocked by the tail of the t-rex; Owen stared, trying to piece the carcass with the few times he'd escaped death. But he didn't have time. The quiet was falling back and the army was moving in. He stayed here, and Placer was going to arrest him. _Then I get Maisie her medicine before they do._

"C'mon." Owen encouraged Maisie, getting onto the road. "Claire!"

"Owen!" Claire staggered up from behind their smashed car, holding a small case in her hand. Spotting Maisie, she ran to meet them... Dr. Inger following. Blue's hiss came from behind. Why was she still here?

"Mum." Maisie muttered as Owen passed her over to Claire, who set her down as Owen snapped the case open. "Tie her arm off."

"You need to swab it." Dr. Inger threw in, kneeling beside them. "She could get an infection."

"Come near her and I punch you again." Claire warned her.

Owen eyed the three syringes laid inside the case. He passed the elastic to Claire, giving him time to test the needle. Claire kept Maisie in her lap, kissing her forehead. "You'll feel this for just a second, sweetie."

Owen nodded, running his thumb up Maisie's arm, seeking a vein. Finding one, he poked the needle in and inserted the medicine. Maisie kept her eyes closed until he pulled it out. Claire breathed out with it, finding Owen's hand as she held Maisie close. Owen dropped the syringe, leaning in and releasing his relief as he kissed her. "Scared me for a minute."

"I was following your orders," Claire kissed him back. "Remember."

"Is this really what we're doing." Dr. Inger cried... then she really cried out, jumping back from them. Owen looked over his shoulder to find Blue at a distance, watching them. Head tilted, she looked concerned. He hadn't seen that look since she was hatchling.

"Hey girl," Owen rose, his movements subtle. "Nice work."

Blue paced a few feet, looking over Claire and Maisie. She let out a purr, head low- as though inquiring. This was surreal. Owen grinned. "They're okay. We'll be okay."

Blue straightened, as though satisfied with that. With Placer and his soldiers getting closer, she backed up and turned. Again, Owen watched her make for the woods. Only to jolt when the shots ran out.


	22. New Rest

**Yes, another long wait. But I'm coming up on the ending chapters and I wanted it to be juuuusssttt right! Your patience and reviews mean more to me then you'll ever know!**

 **Happy Easter Everyone!**

 **}{}{}{}{**

They hadn't arrested Owen... yet. Claire didn't care about the particulars, nor about the ruptured vein in her eye or the soreness ready to do her in. She was with Maisie and Owen, that was all that mattered. Though she wasn't with them at the moment. She had made her way to holding, where Dr. Inger was recovering... and under arrest. She had been placed there after Zia and Franklin had connected her to the InGen lab. Franklin was in the middle of debriefing Colonel Placer and the others over all the data being collected; but that was his headache.

They had been escorted back at the base while the army cleaned up the mess on 136. Claire had had to shock the images out of her mind, needed clear thoughts for when she talked to Dr. Inger. Yet, it was the same gut wrench that hit her when she first felt life leave the brachiosaurus at the park. Boy, did that feel like ten years ago, rather then three.

Claire steadied her breath, walking through the front flap. There was a solider seated across from Dr. Inger's cot. She was cuffed at the wrist, hair down, but braided back. She wasn't laid up like Owen, but still a very different picture from the corporate face Claire often saw. Dr. Inger's chin was stitched, her clothes beyond rumpled, and a collapsed expression over her face. Like she couldn't even believe where she was. But taking note of Claire, her posture straightened. "What brings you here, Mrs. Grady?"

"I just identified Dr. Wu's body." Claire bit out. Dr. Inger's expression barely rippled. Claire narrowed her eyes. "You have nothing to say?"

"What brings you here?" Dr. Inger posed to her again, steel falling over her eyes. She'd chosen to wake up from whatever daze she'd been in. Clair supposed she could give up on an honest answer now. She checked over her shoulder, putting more distance between her and the guard. "I need to know what your next move is."

"Hiring the right lawyer." Dr. Inger said dryly.

"You cut up a child!" Claire hissed at her, the image of Maisie's arm burned in her brain. "You shot Henry and you were willing to let me die. Name one lawyer that's going to argue against that."

"You make a fair point." Dr. Inger scoffed, then winched from the strain on her chin. Claire wished she'd look at her for more then three seconds. She needed to see this woman's eyes, try and gleam a fraction of understanding from them. "Why? Why would you take it that far? After everything my group has risked, _for_ the future of InGen."

Dr. Inger let her fingers fall from her bandage. "If you don't understand my reasons by now, you never will. My entire life has been about progress, Mrs. Grady. That, and overcoming the obstacles that would threaten it."

Claire knew that feeling, that cold-hearted drive. She used to be at the center of it... and she still chomped the bit for it sometimes. Claire's blood iced with the thought of being in Dr. Inger's place. Her reflective silence however, encouraged Dr. Inger, who raised her disheveled head. "I've watched you work, Mrs. Grady. Hard. Imagine... watching all that hard work and pride fall backwards... erased from existence."

Her voice went even quieter, conscious of the guard. Unquestioning, Claire moved over to his post. "I'm sorry, but could you give us a minute?"

He furrowed his brow. "Ma'am, I don't think-"

"You'll be outside the door if I need you." Claire reasoned. He lingered, but then nodded. "Right outside."

Claire thanked him, walking back up to Dr. Inger. "You knew about Maisie, before any of us. I need to know how."

Dr. Inger's eyes told that story, but Claire was unable to decipher it. "What do you have to lose? You won't talk to anyone else."

"According to you, they don't deserve to know." Dr. Inger bit out, her vulnerability retreating.

"You and Gavrill are proof that they shouldn't." Claire threw back. "But how did you find out?"

Dr. Inger leaned her shoulder onto her pillow. "Edwin was my mentor from the minute I stepped inside InGen; the year after he helped Benjamin Lockwood. He was brilliant-"

"And he had Alzheimer's." Claire cut in, showing she was capable of an internet search. Dr. Inger took personal offense to that, yanking on her cuffed wrist. "And I suppose you were there to watch him lose all that brilliance? His future discoveries and innovations... all gone."

She made the loss sound much deeper then a mentor to a mentee. But that wasn't what she was here for. Dr. Inger pushed her hair behind her shoulders, like brushing the memories aside. "Still, Dr. Hill had some sense. He wrote out a journal, documenting the experiments and equations that led to Maisie's- birth. All six years of them."

 _Six years._ Claire's brow furrowed at the number. Dr. Inger saw the reaction and squared her jaw. "What, you think they turned out a perfect genetic model the first, second, or twelfth time? How many gaps of Gloria Lockwood's DNA needed to be filled before they found the perfect code?"

Claire felt sick at the probabilities she was raising. But that was what Dr. Inger wanted, so she swallowed the weakness in her legs. "And when you found the journal, you recognized which codes were pure and which weren't."

Dr. Inger nodded. "The pieces didn't fit together at first, but I figured it out. And I saw a chance..." Her eyes hardened on Claire again. "A chance to help Dr. Hill and others like him. You see a little girl Mrs. Grady, but I see a gateway. To a world without disease or death. Longevity, as it were. You and your husband are preventing that."

"You're willing to kill to make it happen." Claire told her, gazing just as hard. Dr. Inger pulled at her cuffs again, looking mad enough to spit. "Get off your high horse! How many times have I heard you talk about sacrifice?! Or did you lose track of how many workers you lost at the park."

Claire's cheeks flared. "You've got nerve throwing that-"

"Choices had to be made!" Dr. Inger rose, hissing in Claire's face. "The outbreak happened and I saw what I'd been waiting three years for! I had approached Mr. Mills, but of course he recognized the value of what he had. I needed to pay if I even hoped to see Maisie. The only leverage I had ensuring she wasn't pawned off somewhere else was Dr. Hill's journal."

Did she hear herself? Claire didn't hide her look of disgust or fear at what Maisie might've endured. "Does Mr. Gavrill know about the journal?"

"He knows nothing." Dr. Inger rubbed her temple. "But seeing Maisie... he'll search for more."

Claire's throat dried. "You realize what you've exposed her to?"

Dr. Inger raised her chin in defiance of her disgust. "You want me to take it back? To put on my mommy glasses, and call her darling? She's not Claire."

Claire reined in her composure, matching Inger's chin. "And that's why you'll never get within five feet of her."

"And you expect me to take that lying down?"

"I _expect_ that you won't want anyone else taking credit for Maisie's research." Claire backed off as the guard re-entered.

 **}{}{}{}{**

Owen's ribs were stiff under their wrappings, but nothing compared to the ache he had with the stitches in his gashes and gunshot wound. He was hooked to an IV that matched Maisie's. A Private Seaver had been working between their cots, a great help in letting Maisie stick near them. Since they'd all arrived, Seaver and the rest of the base moved with the same finality as their injuries. It was all ending. The t-rex was dead...

 _Blue's dead._ Owen pinched at the bridge of his nose. He'd prepared himself a million times for it, from the moment he'd heard about the volcano. Heck, he'd said it out loud before, that Blue was going to die. And that he was fine with it.

Then why had he tried to stop the bleeding?

"Another needle?"

Owen popped his eyes open. Seaver stood in gloves, a syringe in her hand. She smiled assuredly at Maisie. "Not you, kid; Daddy."

"Uh... no." Owen straightened up. "I told them no pain medication."

"Mr. Grady, you're not only severely injured, but haven't eaten in over twenty-four hours." Private Seaver pointed out. "These are extra vitamins, nothing more."

"I typically find my vitamins in a cheeseburger."

Private Seaver shrugged. "Just sold the last one. Now c'mon."

Owen caught Maisie eyeing him, on her side with a hand propping her head. "Better you then me."

"You're such a comfort." Owen rolled his eyes as Seaver shot him up. She had him press on the gauze when Claire appeared, clicking her cell off. Owen thanked Seaver, trying to read Claire's face as she walked away. "What'd Inger have to say?"

Claire dropped on the edge of Maisie's cot, exhausted. "Plenty. I asked Zia to check some of it. But Inger doesn't plan to tell anyone else. Maisie's 'discovery' is too important for her."

 _For all the wrong reasons._ Owen growled as Claire stretched her legs. Even if Inger did want to keep a lid on it, there was still Gavrill and Wu... no, Wu was dead. Another fatality.

"Mum, leave it." Maisie waved Claire's hand off her IV drip. Claire shrugged awkwardly, smoothing Maisie's hair back. "Sorry. Just eager for you to feel better."

"I'm _okay."_ Maisie directed this at both of them.

"Okay's a broad term." Owen threw in. Claire nodded in agreement. "Do you need anything?"

"A cheeseburger." Owen hoped.

"And french fries!" Maisie added in excitedly.

"Right on." Owen pointed at her, getting a giggle. It was light, but it lifted his heart. Claire got Owen to note her serious expression. Owen swallowed and asked. "So what's Inger's deal?"

"She knew before any of us." Claire lowered her voice enough for the three of them. "And she wants to keep it that way. If anything, her pride keeps her from sharing any vital information."

"About me." Maisie specified. There was no putting it past her; that kind of relieved Owen... and saddened him. He watched Maisie cover the gauze on her right arm. Claire's expression matched his rage and regret that someone actually cut Maisie. He wouldn't want to revisit that feeling either. Claire breathed deep, rubbing Maisie's leg. "Whatever happens, whatever we do- or don't do- you'll know about it, Maisie. We won't keep secrets from you."

Maisie kept a grip on her gauze, thinking. "I'm going to have to answer for it... what I am."

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing." Owen pushed himself up, getting eye level with her. The girl's eyes were weighted and watery. "Would other people... If they knew, would they help me like you guys did?"

Owen wanted to offer a hopeful answer. He wanted to keep his brain from deflecting to the negative; heck, that was Claire's department. But after the cycles they'd lived through, why would he- or Maisie- draw any other conclusion? _All the more reason to give her a hopeful answer._

"I don't..." Maisie shook her head as the tears started. "Want to be treated like that again."

Claire pulled her in, catching Owen's gaze over Maisie's head. He eyed the tent door, like a row of enemies might show themselves right then. He felt the need to punch something.

"My DNA," Maisie composed herself, wiping her blotchy cheeks dry. "it could help people?"

"Maybe," Claire hesitated. "If it's researched properly."

"By the right people." Owen threw in. Which didn't lift Maisie's face any. "Dr. Inger said that Grandpa needed a new organ. He could've made one."

"Maybe he chose not to." Owen told her; it wasn't the first he'd thought of what had to have gone through Benjamin Lockwood's mind. "He already had what he needed."

Maisie rested her head on Claire's chest, contemplating that. Claire cleared her throat. "Despite his reasons, Owen and I are glad you're here."

That put a visible relax on Maisie's face. "But if I _can_ help people... I want to."

Claire looked at Owen, fear entering her eyes. Owen tilted his head at her, a reminder of how they wanted to handle this. _We let her decide._

"When I'm ready." Maisie finished firmly.

"Ok." Owen and Claire assured her, Claire's shoulders relaxing. It wasn't a definite answer, but what was right now? Owen watched Maisie lay back, visibly more at ease then an hour ago. Two minutes and her lids were closed. Owen gestured and Claire crossed to his cot, where she sat and released her breath, chin dropping to her chest. "Can this day end already."

They shared a dry laugh. Owen reached up so he could brush her bangs from blocking her eyes. "You're still the hottest post-apocalyptic chick in here."

Claire snorted. "I hate you."

"What's not to hate." Owen shrugged with his slickest grin. Claire shook her head, but leaned in and kissed him anyway. Owen put his arms around her, enjoying her lips. Claire smiled between kisses. "Told you. You're a better man then you think."

"I better be if this is the reward."

She pinched so he'd let go. Her smirk lightened as the levity passed, her gaze back on Maisie. "You think Lockwood was right?"

Owen watched as their kid got some much deserved sleep. "I don't care."

"I don't either." Claire stated. She became thoughtful, until Owen pinched her back. "What?"

"Thinking..." Claire said, her mood dampening. "Protestors like to accuse InGen of going against God. What if Maisie hears that?"

"We'll be there when she does."

She looked at him, massaging her neck. "She know about Blue?"

Owen nodded. Claire placed her gentle hand in his. "I'm sorry."

Owen rolled his head back, wary of the subject. "It couldn't have ended any other way."

"But nobody wanted that for her. Not even you."

"Course I didn't." Owen said rather sharply. He rubbed his chin, wishing there was an easy way to feel about this. "I told Placer to burn her body."

"Owen!" Claire started off his cot. Owen held onto her arm, leaning forward. "Where was it doing to end, Claire? My own research put Blue as the key to InGen's research. She never would've gone to the sanctuary. Blue would've been held for testing and her blood duplicated."

Claire settled herself back down, head going in her hands. That was the same as saying she agreed. Owen didn't know what any of this meant for the DPG or InGen, but if they were to avoid a repeat of the last few years, they couldn't allow InGen or anyone access to its progress. Claire raised her head, tips of her fingers pressed to her nose. "What'd you think... about reasons and God, Owen?"

Owen was caught off guard. "Is this a spiritual awakening?"

"I'm just... baffled." Claire threw up a hand helplessly. She eyed Owen now with puzzlement. "I was going to manage Jurassic World until retirement. I never planned on seeing you after that awful first date. Yet, we keep finding ourselves together. I run an activist nonprofit..." She noted her ring and blew out her breath. "And now we're married."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Is it that hard to believe."

"That you asked or that I said yes?" Claire lowered her hand. "But, I love you, so..."

Okay, she was starting to hurt his feelings! "Don't make it sound too forced."

"Well it's hard when there's nothing chasing us!" Claire joked. Owen laughed at that. "Good point."

Claire turned his chin so his eyes were back on her. "I do love you. You're..." she searched the words. "good for me."

Owen drew her lips to his. "You're good for me too."

Claire went along for a minute before stopping. "There's so much to do."

"Later." Owen was far from done. Claire pushed him back into the pillows. "Owen, you're-"

"I'm feeling better." Owen insisted.

Claire sighed, almost growled in frustration. But let him kiss her.


	23. A New End

"We're not allowed to be doing that." Franklin went shoulder to shoulder with Zia, covering her as she opened drawers. Many were locked, or bent due to the destruction of the lab. But as long as Zia had a hair pin and a crow bar, that didn't stop her. But how she'd convinced him to hold the crow bar-

"We were here first." Zia slid the bottom drawer closed, fiddling with the middle lock. "Basically gives us the run of the place. And Claire needs us to find that journal."

Franklin eyed the army troop that had swooped in ten minutes ago. After securing the area, they were doing a floor-by-floor sweep of the place. Franklin had convinced them that any and all evidence they needed about who needed arresting was to be found here. Luckily, Colonel Placer was feeling generous and hadn't handcuffed them. Course, they weren't allowed to leave the floor on which he'd found them. Double luck, that was where they needed to be to do Claire's bidding.

"Easy for Claire to say." Franklin eyed the blank computer, debating whether to crack into it or not. "She isn't threatened with being court-martialed."

Zia looked at him, exasperated. "Franklin, does it _REALLY_ matter at this point? After..." her eyes widened, still unconnected with the reality. "Everything."

"Ok." Franklin's hand wandered to the drawers on the other side of the desk. "Just... don't push yourself."

"Anything?" a solider checked up on his fellow sweeper, pushing Franklin's heart up his throat again. That probably wouldn't stop until he could wipe the compie blood off his hands and arms. _How am I rambling and Zia's the silent, trembling statue?_

While they were destroying the evidence of Maisie's existence- Franklin could still smell the incineration of the little girl's blood and tissue- they'd both remained stone-faced. The motions hadn't felt real. And Franklin had been the first to snap out of it, as Colonel Placer and his followers flanked the lab. He'd explained the situation, Wu's dead body, the dinosaurs... how had he done that?

 _Facing a prehistoric beast._ He thought. _Tooth and nail_... _how do I put that on a resume?_

Franklin kept random thoughts like that in mind, giving the computer a once-over. Oddly, it kept him sane. Claire's latest call had given them a new task. And they'd already come this far-

"Hey." Franklin pulled out of his brain, moving the monitor again. He'd bumped it, checking for any USB ports. It was... heavy. A lot heavier then the latest PC model should be.

"Find something?" Zia raised a brow. Franklin jutted his chin at the computer. "Screwdriver. That other counter, right?"

Zia retrieved it, checking over their shoulders as Franklin turned the monitor sideways. The screwdriver was a flathead, inept for the Phillips head; he had to use its corner. "They're loose. Like someone's messed with them before."

From front to back, the monitor was barely four inches thick. Any wires within it were geared to show the technician whatever data they were analyzing.

 _Unless they weren't._ Franklin thought, pulling the casing back. There were wires alright... and also a black journal!

"Holy-" Franklin hushed up and pried the journal free; as inconspicuously as possible. "Zia, your pack."

He slid the journal to her, turning and seeking out the nearest solider. "Hey, listen... so, we're kinda drained. Is there anyway we could just..."

He gestured toward the elevator, indicating what he was too tried to say. The solider studied him and Zia a moment before nodding them away. "Finally be out of our way."

"Glad to be of service." Zia saluted, following Franklin out the door and down the hall. She held her pack close, saving her other hand for Franklin's as they rode the elevator back to the surface. He eyed its extra bulge. "What's-"

"We'll find out soon enough." Zia blew a breath out; one of relief. "The more head space I get from there, the better. My sarcasm needs better reception."

Franklin mustered a grin. "I've missed it."

The elevator dinged- an unusual sound for the surrounding rubble. They walked out together, passing the desks and soldiers for fresh air and a calm breeze. Franklin sucked in a deep drag of it. For once, he wasn't seeking the solace of a computer screen. Zia finally unzipped her pack as they reached her car, setting both their eyes on the mysterious black journal. Backs to the InGen lab, Zia opened it. Franklin barely caught the polaroid that fell out of the front pages. He caught the back, with its hastily drawn double helix. Certain bits highlighted in pink, others in orange.

"Zia," Franklin spoke in confusion, turning it over to see a smaller version of Maisie. Pigtails with blonde ends sticking out, a wide grin of minuscule teeth, and a purple turtleneck as she sat next to some flowers. The edges were worn and the entire photo was yellowed, making Franklin's brain click. _No... that's not Maisie..._

"Gloria Lockwood." Zia held up a page in the journal that mirrored the DNA strand illustration. "What Ben Lockwood was chasing."

Franklin lowered the photo, focusing on the notes and bio-calculations that led onto the next page of the journal. He knew Zia would recognize more of it then him, but he had a hard time connecting the numbers and symbols with the brave little girl Owen and Claire were now caring for. "What'd you suppose he sacrificed to get it?"

"According to this," Zia turned another page gingerly. "Plenty."

 **}{}{}{}{**

Two days, five favors cashed in over the phone, and sixteen pages of statements and they were finally free to go. More specifically, Owen was allowed off his cot! Claire was going to be driving, but Owen would take anything that got him out of the medical tent. Private Seaver ran a tight ship, naval pun intended.

"No, I got it Dad." Maisie dragged Owen's duffel out of his reach, slinging it on her shoulder. Owen tried to grab it back. "I can handle it."

"No, no, no," Maisie insisted, righting herself with a bright smile. "You're too banged up."

Owen let the argument drop. She was as excited to be up as he was. He struggled with his boots, watching Maisie trudge his duffel out of the tent. She was given help at the flap by Colonel Placer. "Thank you."

"No problem." Colonel Placer assured her, but he dropped the light-hearted tone when it was just him and Owen. Owen gritted through the pain to his ribs, lacing his boots. "So-"

"It's done." Colonel Placer nodded, as vague as his tone. "But those names; Gavrill and Aldovich. Nothing's turning up."

"It needs to." Owen stood, releasing some of the pressure from his wounds.

Placer's voice lowered as he mentioned it. "Your colleagues are really something, but they're at least useful. Mr. Webb is leading the way on cracking Mills' files. We've got five names and should have the rest of them by the end of the week. There are more credible threats to follow, Mr. Grady."

Owen couldn't agree with that; the other threats didn't know about Maisie. He prepped to shrug his jacket over his sore body. "Dig into Dr. Inger's stuff; those names _will_ pop up. You can add them to your list of threats then."

"Going on your word doesn't say much." Placer threw in. Owen sighed. "Still unsure, huh?"

"Hey, I'm nothing compared to the media storm your wife's battling." Placer grunted with a familiar frustration. Owen recognized it from when public safety clashed with political agendas. He snapped on his watch, keeping his tone light. "Her phone'll be glued to her cheek before this is over." He let that joke fade before putting a serious look to Placer. "And Blue?"

Placer's voice and face showed pride. "Burned and buried. Not a moment too soon."

 _Yes and no._ Owen figured. He'd always have the memory of Maisie's face falling when they'd told her about Blue. One memory among others.

"Couldn't have ended any other way." Owen just nodded his thanks at Placer. Was it even thanks? If Blue _had_ somehow made it onto the sanctuary, had been left with to thrive with the other dinosaurs-

 _Only until some other mercenary comes along._ Owen reminded herself. Someone always did. Hoskins had been one of the ear-worms, wanting to benefit from Blue's existence. Him, Mills, even Lockwood, leading with the illusion that they were in control of it in the first place. Placer moved back, allowing Owen a clear path outside the medical tent. It was still morning, but the heat off the pan was already unrelenting. He squinted up at the blinding sky, appreciating the fresh air on his face. _Can't wait to reach the cabin and appreciate the air there._

But Claire had made him promise; her apartment first. They would meet Zia and Franklin there, discuss their future options... get a look at Inger's journal. What headaches would that bring on? Hopefully no more then his painkillers could combat.

"Maisie." Claire called out, getting Owen's attention with the little girl's. She held out her phone. "Someone's eager to talk to-"

"Iris!" Maisie guessed, dashing for it. Owen's duffel lopped over the trunk, hitting the ground in a mushroom cloud.

"Quite the kid." Placer mentioned. Owen looked to find him actually smiling. "Got two girls myself. Robin's eight and Joy... she'll be thirteen next week."

 _When's Maisie's birthday?_ Owen thought flippantly. _How have we not asked her that?_

"Look, um," Placer huffed then, falling in and out of his army stance. "I'm- sorry about-

"You had a job to do." Owen waved it off- literally to keep his sleeve on. "You were following orders, following the evidence... I would've drawn the same conclusions."

Placer set his jaw. "Kinda bugged that I did so easily. Sergeant Terry was a good solider, but always a bit... unsettling. Everyone saw him as the guy who'd cut corners. But we didn't peg him as a traitor."

"Nobody ever does." Owen sighed, watching Maisie talk rapidly into the phone. He had to smile; it was the most spirit she'd shown since getting her back. _One good thing- and we got it. Thank you, God._

"They're why we put up with any of it." Placer was back to reflecting, also watching Maisie. Owen glimpsed around the base, braising under the rising heat of the plain. And he thought about Maisie's declaration of becoming a pilot, seeing the world. She was determined enough to try.

"Do you ever feel like you've prepared them?" Owen met Placer's eyes, father to father. A knowing smirk crossed Placer's face. "You have until they're eighteen."

That didn't feel very long. Owen stuck his hand out. "Better make the most of it then."

"Good luck." Placer agreed, shaking Owen's hand. It likely wasn't the last they'd seen of each other, but it was nice to think he wouldn't have to dread the occasion. Owen made for the car, where Claire had closed the trunk and Maisie gabbed away. She spotted him and squeezed his hand. "Iris is going to meet us at Claire's!"

Owen gave her a thumbs up. Maisie paused while Iris said something, then winced. "She says your manners better have improved."

Owen put his thumb down, getting her to giggle. Owen looked up as Claire leaned against the open driver's door. "Ready?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

 **}{}{}{}{**

"We've watched the world's efforts travel in fast forward since the fall of the mighty tyrannosaurus rex last week," the British reporter stated to her camera. "In a jointed statement from the prime minister and U.S. president earlier today, they assure us that the outbreak in California has been fully neutralized. The deadly rampage, which released eleven prehistoric spieses into the modern public, resulted in a total of 131 deaths, 86 Americans, 25 African-Americans-"

Rodion Aldovich let the segment play, filling the stoic silence of the backseat. He was able to hold most of his chuckles back until it ended. He exited out of the screen, putting his phone down to eye Mr. Gavrill. "It's all the same. The UN, EAU, and any local governments have unified efforts to locate the dinosaurs sold at the auction."

"Just as our friends gather." Mr. Gavrill shrugged, gazing at the muddled glass of his tumbler. His thinking pose. There was plenty to think about these days. Aldovich eyed the window as the driver made the last turn to their destination. "Whatever task force they send, Grady _will_ be part of it. Your name was concealed at the auction, but-"

"It'll keep the game interesting." Mr. Gavrill lowered his tumbler with a shrug. "It is, after all, far from over."

Aldovich remained placid as the car braked. He nodded as Mr. Gavrill exited, letting in the backwoods scent of home. Aldovich blinked in a moment of nostalgia, following Mr. Gavrill onto the damp path and brazen sunlight. The things that could remain in a boy's brain, no matter how much the world changed. Eyeing the tall, thick-barbed electric fence before them, Aldovich regained his composure. Only to catch his breath at the roar that shuttered from the other side of the fence.


	24. Everything New

**Is it over already!?**

 **How am I going to get through the next two years, not knowing the fate of my favorite dinosaurs and their pet humans? You guys have been great, thanx for every read. It made me smile and I hope this story gave you some smiles too.** **Or... it made you raving mad and now you're writing fictions of your OWN ideas for how Jurassic World 3 will pan out. But hey, we've got plenty of time to hypothesize!**

 **Thanks again everybody.**

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10 MONTHS LATER

"Maisie!" Claire yelled up the stairs for the third time. "They're waiting!"

The loft of the cabin was quiet, as it had been for the last fifteen minutes. Claire didn't leave time for a response, mounting the stairs in exasperation. That girl could drag her feet! Maisie had been raving and packing, practically bouncing off the walls for this since Wednesday; yet her ride was here and was nowhere to be found! Claire reached the landing and crossed to Maisie's door. It was the only bedroom in the loft above Owen's well-crafted living room. He had finished it, the bedroom, and the entire cabin by spring. Claire had convinced him to add her own touches by the end of summer. Now, it was feeling like a home.

"Maze-" Claire peeked in to find her juggling her suitcase and sleeping bag. Her eyes widened over the state of her bed… and dresser… and window seat. "This… you call this room CLEAN!?"

Maisie looked about, shrugged to Claire. "Nothing's on the floor."

"I asked you to clean everything up, not just the floor." Claire leaned on the knob, glaring at her. Maisie shuffled her feet, hoisting her sleeping bag into a better grip. "Dad said it looked fine."

"Because _he_ can be trusted when it comes to cleanliness." Claire pulled a book off her dresser. Was that two weeks worth of dust?

A horn sounded from the driveway. Maisie took the distraction and dodged past Claire for the stairs. "Tina and her mum are waiting."

"Uh uh." Claire chased after her. "You've been getting sloppy with this-"

"Claire!" Owen yelled from the front door. "They're here!"

 _Thanks for the obvious heads up!_ Claire blew her breath out. She caught up with Maisie, brow knitted with dead seriousness. "Have fun. But this conversation is to be continued."

"Sure." Maisie didn't look back, bolting down the stairs with her load. Claire watched her jump over the last step and beeline for the door. She couldn't wait to leave… Claire's throat thickened at Maisie's excitement. It was her first sleepover with a few friends from school. When were the little things going to stop blowing her away?

 _Don't you DARE cry!_ Claire scolded, taking herself down the stairs. There wasn't a need. Maisie was bursting with new color and courage every week; refining Claire's belief in their decision about her future.

Dr. Inger's journal was with Iris, Maisie's adoption papers were with the state, and if any rumors started up- in or out of InGen- Claire and Owen weren't alone in stopping them.

"Got everything?" Owen checked Maisie's backpack at the door. "Sleeping bag, pjs… silly string?"

Maisie giggled, zipping it shut. "All three colors."

"List of prank calls?" Owen grinned, Claire in his peripheral as he reached in his jeans pocket. Did he honestly have a copy of it?

"I got it." Maisie adjusted her grip on her sleeping bag. They shared a mischievous grin and Owen high-fived her. "Make me proud."

"Call us if you need us." Claire mentioned, joining them on the door.

"I'll be fine." Maisie promised, already on the porch.

"But you have your phone, just in case." Claire called after her. Maisie threw her pack into Mrs. Harley's van, then waved before getting in with Tina. Did that mean she _did_ have her phone or not? Claire sighed. _It's probably lying somewhere in her tornado of a room!_

She didn't have time to ask as Mrs. Harley honked again and drove off. They faded down the drive, letting the sounds of twilight surround the cabin again. Claire took a breath of the fresh air she was accustomed to, then closed the door.

Owen let a sigh echo to the rafters; then suddenly hoisted Claire off the ground. He smacked their lips together. "Thought she'd never leave."

Claire twisted, getting him to release her. "Do you ever just savor the moment?"

"When the moment's right." Owen glanced back at the door with a chuckle. "Wonder which string she'll use."

 _None._ Claire begged the heavens. It was a constant power struggle as to what constituted as fun for Maisie. Unfortunately, Owen would win most of the time. Claire glared at him, then turned sly. "She'll forget about it silly string... once they start talking about boys."

Owen leaned back on his heels, surprised. "That a joke?"

Claire cocked a brow. "I joke when it suits me." She sidled up to him, hands around his warm waist. "And the mood is right."

"Our first night alone in months," Owen's eyes traced her face. "and _that_ gets you in a joking mood?"

Claire shrugged, getting closer. Owen didn't question it, shrugging back and kissing her. Claire's mind burst with color and her concentration went to finding the couch. _No, no! I have to..._

"It..." Claire stopped, pushing Owen away. "It also gives us the chance to talk."

Owen's grin wilted. "Silence is an underestimated communicator, Claire."

"Owen-"

"Honey," Owen tettered her in his patronizing way. "Our lips need energy for later."

"Ugh," Claire slipped out, making for the kitchen. "You _always_ have to act the pig?"

"Your reactions make it all worth it." Owen followed her. Claire warded him off farther, grabbing peas and asparagus out of the freezer. Her cell rang out and she dropped them to snatch it up. "It's Zia."

"Claire, c'mon."

"Probably about the grant money." Claire tossed him the peas. "And it gives me an excuse to have _you_ start cooking."

They both would be relieved at that. Claire walked back into the living, where Zia's confidence beamed through the phone. "We got it, boss! All seven investors are on board, their checkbooks ready."

Even being sure of it didn't dull Claire's own beam of achievement. "Finally. We'll need to schedule the transfer-"

"I already did." Zia told her. Claire paused in her pacing. "You could've texted that. Why call me?"

Zia snorted. "Why else?"

Claire hung up, regretting showing confidence in Zia for anything. She wasn't supposed to know, but the vet remained surprisingly intuitive. Either way she did, and Zia had been pestering Claire for two weeks. But finding a quiet moment hadn't been easy. Reforming the DPG and building InGen's reputation back up had been a full-time job and then some. Claire had carefully negotiated for InGen to fund the majority of California's rebuilding after containment of the outbreak. This was meant as an olive branch to the public, the majority of whom were glad the dinosaurs were extinct once again. It wasn't much, but it was a start, along with everything else.

The means and influence of the auction had allowed for some speices to inhabit other countries, almost splitting the world on who's jurisdiction they fell under. And just like that, the protests and activists were back on their picket lines, boasting the animals' rights. Claire flexed her fingers, recalling their hover over the exit button... she forced that memory on herself every time a debate got too heated. There was a fine line between standing one's ground and remaining neutral. Slowly, she was navigating it pretty well.

Owen had given his answer more dramatically, leading the 2.0 version of InGen's security. Franklin worked between both of them, one whiz among the dozens on their technological team. And Claire was going to be the corporate manager for the new company, just like Senator Sherwood intended. Steering the research and handling public relations; just like at the park. Claire felt the weight of the responsibility, only it was different. Or rather she was.

 _But that's not what tonight's about._ Claire re-entered the kitchen, celebratory smile still in place. Owen looked up expectantly from the warming stovetop. "We got the money?"

Claire nodded. "We can hope to build a new headquarters this summer."

Owen tore open a box of rice, but caught the drop in her tone. "We're ready; for whatever comes with it."

"If you mean the crazy, then yes." Claire nodded. "But given our history, I doubt it'll reach a four on the crazy scale."

Owen smiled, nodding in agreement. "Still, thought you'd sound more Xena Warrior Princess about it... you want me to call, set up the contracts for you?"

Claire eyed their cabin's craftsmanship with admiration. "You don't want to build it from scratch?"

Owen's eyes sparked. "I can have blueprints made up in three hours."

"Thanks, but no.' Claire stopped him, even though it was teasing. She switched her phone to silent. "And I am excited- relieved, if I'm being honest. Just... this' our night. No work... just us."

"Okay," Owen passed her the rice. Claire searched for a pot to boil it in.

"Which part of us should we talk about?"

Claire let the water rush into the pot, her thoughts racing with the motion. "Something... I think you'll like. I didn't even plan for it."

"Well, we all gotta grow sometime." Owen snickered. Claire snapped the water off and turned to face him. "Ok, drop the dry sarcasm for a few minutes. I need you to be- kinda serious here."

They stared across the island, the awkward silence rising, until Owen turned the heat low under the vegetables. Claire gave a steadying breath, stepping over to the bread box. It was Owen's mother's, only they didn't use it; so it had been the perfect hiding place. Claire pulled out the bracelet box she'd wrapped in ribbon. Why? She didn't know, but it seemed a nice touch at the time. She moved around the island, where Owen could see it better. He eyed it, then her. "It's too early for birthdays and our anniversary-"

"No." Claire passed him the box, trying to hold the anticipation down. Owen's expression dampened. "Did you go and buy Maisie that blue tooth type thing?"

"Did I-" Claire gawked, fists rising in exasperation. "Owen, open the stupid box!"

He did, throwing the ribbon in unneeded flair. A second later, he dropped the lid. His eyes bulged up at her. "For real?"

Claire nodded, smiling through the tears she'd been fighting. "I had to be sure, so I saw a doctor last week-"

Owen closed their gap, the pregnancy test joining the lid on the floor. Claire shared his joyful kiss, too happy for anything else. Despite everything- and all that laid ahead- life was moving forward. As it always would.

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